Day 14 – 25.26 km (15.7 miles) Today felt like an endurance test, trudging through 15.74 miles in the relentless rain. The photos were scarce, but I managed to capture kilometer markers for my Instagram. A brief stop for coffee and almond cake provided a small reprieve as we pressed on, our feet soaked but…
Today marked our penultimate stretch, and exhaustion is starting to catch up with us. I firmly believe that incorporating a rest day every five days on the longer Camino is crucial for sustained energy. The day’s weather was a mix – cooler morning temperatures that gradually warmed up to the pleasant low 80s in the…
Day 12 – 21.1 km (13.11 miles) Today is a rain day. The issue is that it’s also warm. So, do you put on your rain jacket to stay dry and then sweat and end up wet? Or do you just get wet without the rain jacket? I opted for no rain jacket, until it really started pouring…
Day 11 – 19.6 km (12.17 miles) Adjusting to the late sunrise at 8:45am here in Spain has been a challenge. We kicked off our walk at 7:30, and we chuckled about stashing our headlamps in our bags initially, until we ventured into a forest where darkness surrounded us. Lesson learned – headlamps are now…
Day 10 – 15.5 km (10 miles) Julie bid us farewell early this morning, leaving us a bit somber. The previous day Julie asked our hotel how to find a taxi to the airport and how difficult it would be. She had been assured that there would be plenty of taxis to take her to…
Day 8 – 19.1 km (11.8 miles) ¡Hola from Spain! We’ve hit the halfway mark! Feeling surprisingly great today despite the sore feet and tight calves. The pool soak yesterday did wonders. Thankfully, the route was flatter, sparing us from mountain climbs. The persistent cobblestones and tricky river stones gave us a run for our…
Day 5 – 18.8 km (11.68 miles) We left the vineyard around 8 am, and the landscape remained quite similar to the previous day until we reached the Lima river. The walk alongside beautiful trees and man-made rapids led us to our lodging for the night. We got there around 1:30 pm but couldn’t check…
This morning, we decided to delay our departure since we only had about 8 miles to walk today, luckily. Our calves, feet, and quads were protesting loudly. After a leisurely breakfast, we ventured to the Barcelos Market, which is not just the largest in Portugal, but also one of the biggest in Europe. The scale…
Waking up at 6am, my typical start time, elicited some playful grumbles from the others. The aim was to hit the trail by 6:30, wisely dodging the sweltering midday sun. Our target today: a solid 13 miles, mirroring yesterday’s journey, sticking to the plan with no unplanned diversions. Yet, our early departure led us astray…
Today marked our inaugural authentic day on the Camino. Our objective was to trek from Vilar do Pinheiro to Arcos, a stretch Google Maps estimated at 10 miles. However, due to taking ‘recommended detours’ to dodge the highway, it turned into a 13-mile journey. The last three miles were grueling, aggravated by the mid-80s (28C)…
We’ve arrived in Porto! After a delayed flight to Porto, we were warmly greeted by Carla, the hotel manager, who welcomed us with a delightful tiny glass of Porto wine, a taste of the region’s renowned beverage. Tired from a long day of journey, we set out in search of food, and stumbled upon a…
In September 2020, I embarked on the famous Camino de Santiago, a renowned pilgrimage route across the top of Spain known as the Camino Frances. Originally, the plan was to experience this journey alongside my brothers AND a diverse group of fellow travelers who would join us at different stages. Unfortunately, due to travel restrictions,…
Sorry about the delay on this…..I thought I published it….evidently not. Once we left Llangollen, it was a repeat in the reverse order of running ahead of the boat to make sure that there wasn’t anyone coming towards us. But, because it was a Tuesday after the big holiday weekend, we didn’t see one boat…
This morning we woke up and decided to do some hiking. So we headed up the big hill to Castell Dinas Brân. Dating from the 1260-1277, it was a burned down by the invading army of Edward I, and was abandoned. It was a challenging hike with some magnificent views from the top of Langollen…
While sleeping in the hotel sounded like a good idea, it wasn’t ideal. Oh, yes, the shower for everyone was totally worth it, but it was very warm in the room. Keep in mind, they don’t have air conditioning in most of the UK, so it got a bit toasty. We could have opened the…
