Thank you all

Bridge outside Leon

Hello all.

I've been back from the walk for two and a half weeks now but it feels an awfully lot longer! Many things have happened in the family and there are lots of good things to look forward to. The benefits of the Camino have showered down, with emails from new-found friends and re-connections with older ones - fellow pilgrims from far and wide. Future paths beckon, if health permits.

Thanks to all your wonderful generosity, the Grand Total on the Friends of Londiani charity appeal stands at an amazing €4,045 and Frank and I thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We can assure you that it will be put to very good use in Londiani, and Frank will give an account of his three weeks there when we return home near the end of August. I am off on July 14th heading for the Maasai Mara, and Frank flies out to Londiani on July 17th. After our separate three-week volunteer projects we will join up on safari in the Mara and then have a few days on the coast to sample the Indian Ocean once again. So it promises to be an exciting and unique summer - and certainly from my point of view the three weeks en camino have prepared me well for physical exertion and roughing it a bit.

Photos are still to follow but will let you know! Gracias and love to all.
PS   Check out Frank's story here http://barbsafricantravels.blogspot.com/

Fin : Finisterre

The walk is over! Frank and I reached Santiago de Compostela after a 22km hike on a very wet Tuesday evening, May 25th, on Frank's birthday, and having dumped the rucksacks and collapsed for a while on our lovely pension beds with their spotless sheets, we made our way to the Cathedral and caught the quiet 7pm mass where there is a far smaller congregation that at the tour-bus thronged celebrations during the day. As usual, pilgrims' arrivals were chronicled during the mass, and the most impressive that evening was the mention of a journey all the way from Paris! Many pilgrims of course take several years to complete such a journey, walking a few weeks each year til finally reaching their goal. However achieved, it is an impressive walk, and we felt awed by such dedication. Afterwards we celebrated with a wonderful Santiago dinner at a favourite meson nearby.


Next morning we caught a 10.00 am bus to Finisterre (90km away but three hours via the wooded rias) and walked to the top of Monte Facho, the site of a far earlier pilgrimage in pre-Christian times, and we revelled in the solitude high above the glistening Atlantic. The last few days of the Camino had been somewhat stressful for me, with the sheer numbers of pilgrims all heading for a limited supply of beds, but of course this was a self-induced fear as we never had to sleep by the side of the road! However, the earlier spirit of comradeship and simplicity seemed to have been replaced with a "Santiago or bust" mentality which I did not enjoy, and being out among the pine-trees with gulls wheeling overhead in what was once considered the end of the world set the whole Camino experience back in perspective. On our return to the little town of Fisterra we were thrilled to find a small party of Spaniards with their guide in the 12C Romanesque church of Santa Maria de Areas. It had been firmly locked on our way up as so many of these amazing treasures are. Inside was one of the most incredible collection of Marian statues, including a larger-than-life size one of Mary saving floundering fishermen. It is taken out of the church every August and carried in state down to the Fish Market and then brought out to sea by trawler to placate the waves and protect seafaring folk. Religious tradition is alive and well in Spain!


The sun was shining, and there was time for a swim before returning to the great city of Santiago, where next morning we visited some more churches, and then sat in the Plaza de la Quintana and sipped coffees, taking in the bustle of this great square where newly arrived pilgrims, elated, exhausted, queued with the masses of day trippers for access to the Cathedral. Unexpectedly a huge assembly of priests from all over Galicia processed by us on their way to a celebratory mass. There must have been three hundred of them, with several Cardinals and the Archbishop bringing up the rear, entering through this great eastern portal, the Puerta Real, which has three statues of St James above it and is only opened on Holy Years, and we imagined that there would have been some wonderful music seeping through the weed-strewn granite walls, had we the time to stay. But home beckoned, and it was time to bid Santiago farewell. We had visited a nearby jewellery shop, where the elderly assistant confessed to never having walked the Camino, but having met thousands of pilgrims in the 21 years she worked here. "No matter how difficult their journeys have been, they always come here joyfully, and tell me they will return". Our third Camino is hopefully not our last.

I will gather together some pictures as already promised and post those before too long. Love and blessings to you all and thanks again for the marvellous support and interest in the project!

Now we are two!

It has been so wonderful having Frank´s company for the last few days, particularly as the weather has been incredibly hot, and he walks at a faster pace than I do (his rucksack weighs less, too!) so he has been able to forge ahead and book beds in the various albergues along the way, and has spared me sleeping with any other Italians! The going has been tough with many hills and river valleys to negotiate, rough tracks and a lot of roadside paths without shade, so we thought that our arrival by the dam at Portomarin would be a wonderful opportunity to swim. Sadly, it was not to be so as it did not match up to the quality of Shell Hole, and we made do with dorm showers instead.

We did a tough 21km the next day as we felt the 25 intended was just too much in the heat, and in the middle of the countryside near a tiny 10-person hostel found a "playa" with river fed swimming pool - but the pool was empty, so we made do with the shallow stream which fed into it. It was like heaven, and walking without packs is such a joy! Last night was probably one of the stranger of the albergues: a makeshift settup in a huge exhibition centre while the municipal hostel is being refurbished. It was fairly basic, but as usual we slept pretty well and coped with the facilities. After mass we met up with a delightful seventy-year-old with flowing beard who brought us to hear him playing the Gallecian bagpipes - his grandfather apparently was a very famous maestro in these parts. We were entertained with some lovely pieces with Irish and Welsh inspiration - and were presented us with two old recordings which Frank has nobly added to his load!

Tonight we are in a delightful hotel on the edge of Arzua, the second last stage before Santiago. We are very tempted to shorten the next haul by catching a local bus part of the way, but will see how we are feeling in the morning. There has been heavy rain which has freshened everything, and makes the going so much easier. And lunch yesterday was a fantastic feed of pulpo gallego (the famous stewed octopus) in a thronged pulperia in Melide: enough solid food and local wine to keep us going for days. Sunday lunch is an even bigger thing in these parts than at home.

There are lots of Irish people on the Camino at this point, and numbers generally have hugely increased since Sarria, as it is a convenient 120km from Santiago. Many have their baggage delivered ahead, and cannot understand at all why we would not! Having taken a lay day I have missed out on some of the earlier acquaintances but will more than likely meet up with them again once we reach the goal. We will probably walk a few extra miles at Finisterre and make up for any loss tomorrow!

Will hopefully put finishing touches to the blog once I get back home. Thanks again for all the support and good wishes. We are keeping you all in our hearts and in our feet! Slan agas beannacht! Buen camino!

B&F

Life in the dorms

Well, I´m back at the cool and friendly library, escaping the swelltering heat outside, while Frank navigates the bus from Santiago. This morning I left my rather upper-class privately run pension where I shared a big dorm with about 10 others : well worth the 9 euro. Up til this it has been usually voluntarily run albergues and the night before last was spent in a cavernous cell with 45 bunk beds (i.e. 90 bodies!): I arrived about 6.30 to get one of the last, thankfully on the lower level! This was at the famous Benedictine Monastery of Samos, a morning´s walk from Sarria, where pilgrims have been welcomed for centuries. Situated in a lush valley the walk in and out is tortuous and tough - but wonderfully sheltered in oak woodlands and the cooling river races along most of the path in the lower reaches.

The Samos dorm has the advantage of being decorated with the most delightful murals in the style of the Four Masters, which distracts one a bit from the sheer overcrowding; to my right I was conjoined with a hitherto unknown Italian so was careful to tuck my blanket well into my side of the bunk. Above me was one of the champion snorers of the camino, and during the night he was joined by many many others. On my left was the door to the communal loos and showers and all through the night there were obviously comings and goings, but I hung my silk kimono up as a curtain against the light, and with my back to my Italian companion and earplugs firmly in place I had an excellent night´s sleep. It´amazing what a long hard walk can do for one´s ability to switch off from one´s surroundings!

The best albergue so far was built into the wall surrounding a glorious church, and was a single story high with tiny rooms housing just two beds and two generous cupboards - quite a luxury. However, in wet weather it would be quite damp getting to the centrally placed facilities. Here I was billeted with a lovely Austrian girl whom I have met on and off since. We revelled in the splendour as we had both arrived quite late and were thrilled to find space. The relentless walkers who leave at 5.00 a.m. do tend to bag the best spots, but for some of us that is just too much competition - like towels by the poolside! There were post-wedding photos in progress in the rococo church interior, and Mary Black was singing one of my favourite songs, so it was a clear signal to enter and enjoy the painting Thirza had told me to look out for : a card-playing baby Jesus! It must be unique. The style and flower arrangements at the church were stunning - quite a contrast to the road-weary pilgrims milling around for a glimpse at the bride!

Another small albergue was so lovely and welcoming, with cosy wooden beds and long sunny garden, and the first Irishman I had met since day 2, that half way to my intended destination I turned around and went back to it (sort of cheating as I thereby avoided the worst of the hill) and next day caught a bus to Pedrafita do Cebreiro, the birthplace of the man who instigated the yellow arrows along all the paths to Santiago. He has done a huge service to thousands. It was the Dia de las Letras in Galicia, an annual celebration of Gallego literature. I still had a long 4km slog uphill to O Cebreiro, but feel I have to confess to a shortcut of about 10km!

The local municipal albergue here in Sarria is closed for two days for fumigation ("cleaning", I was told!) and this put a lot of pressure on the privately-owned places, so I was lucky yesterday afternoon, having clambered up in the sweltering heat to the old centre and finding three places in a row full, to have the third place just then get a cancellation! Lots of people are pre-booking beds at this stage, as it is getting quite crowded. Sarria is one of the principal staging points for the final 120 km to Santiago. The local pilgrims´ information office is staffed by volunteers, one of them from Hollywood, Co. Down, so John Malone gave me all the lowdown yesterday and I am armed with all the phone numbers I need. It takes the spontaneity away, but is probably best to have a guaranteed bed at the end of a hot day!

My time is almost up so hopefully this has given some flavour of life on the road. There are some more tough bits to go, but it will be with Frank´s company and hopefully he will get to meet some of the marvellous people who have crossed my path in the last two weeks. Our arrival time in Santiago may be the 25th or 26th : it is too hot for speed at present so we will leave it in the lap of the gods of the Camino. Sorry again for the lack of pictures but when I get home and get onto the technical members of the family there should be some evidence online!

Don´t know where next blog will come from : watch this space! Hasta la proxima and love and blessings to you all!

A pilgrim´s progress

Hello one and all and thanks so much for all the kind wishes which have come to me through Frank or via your encouraging emails. Sorry it has taken me so long to get back to this blog, but it´s been pretty tough going, and having mentioned a height of 1330 m to climb in the last post, I had omitted to myself a much more challenging patch before that where the altitude was actually over 1500 m. Luckily there was light snow that day which made the going rather surreal, and the surrounding snow-capped mountains were stunning on that ascent. The little village albergue was like an Irish cottage without kitchen - straight in the door to the bunks, and a pretty cold night.

The countryside has been changing daily, from the long flat meseta or parano of Castille to the mountains of Leon with eagles and heathers and down into the wonderful white-wine-producing area around Villafranca (where in the old days one was permitted to complete the pilgrimage if not feeling well!), and then ascending again through brooms and wild roses up to the heights of O´Cebreiro, a celebrated pilgrim stop and the first one in Galicia. There I caught mass in the little Romanesque church which has been welcoming pilgrims for generations. Lots of bus tours there and the locals as a consequence are not the most welcoming, so I shook the dust (or dung) off my boots and walked another 8 km to yet another tiny village with hearty food and basic bunks.

The country around Sarria where I am based for two nights is very reminiscent of Ireland, with hazel groves, small fields and lush meadows for many varieties of cows. But there the similarity ends as the little villages on the pilgrim´s way are lost in time - sturdy stonebuilt with massive outhouses and huge local slate rooftiles. Herds are small, and farmers sometimes drive them on horseback along the narrow paths shared with a growing number of pilgrims the nearer we get to Santiago.

Here the rivers rush downwards, but many towns and villages have trapped their flow for diverting into bathing or washing areas - very tempting for this sweating pilgrim! Yesterday I came upon a man milling maize for his animals, in a cobweb-hung horizontal water mill - he was proud to show me the mechanism which uses no electricity whatsoever.

My time on the library computer is somewhat curtailed so tomorrow I will resume the narrative and give you an idea of what the day-to-day life on the road (and in the dorms!) is like. I am so excited that Frank is coming here to join me and share the amazing experience, and hope we catch up with some of the wonderful people I have met along the way. With temperatures now in the 30s we will probably have to make pretty early starts and arrive before the real heat of the afternoon sun : up to now I have been one of the last into the albergues, but thankfully have never had to sleep on the floor!

En camino por fin!

The ash clouds disappeared and the flight was able to depart! What a great beginning, and so it continues: on the airport bus I met Oonagh O´Farrell whom I had been asked to look out for, and we spent the first evening together. Bilbo is quite amazing, and the changes in the city since Frank and I were there in 1995 at the beginning of our round-the-world trip are remarkable. The Guggenheim Museum is a staggering building - poetry by the river with the titanium exterior reflecting skies and clouds and all the colours of morning and evening.

We then parted to different starting points on the Camino, and I took the once-daily bus to Leon, which stopped long enough in the royal city of Burgos for me to dash to the cathedral and get some of the morning mass. My destination was the tiny village of Mansilla las Mulas where the local padre gave me a special blessing, and from there it was an easy three-hour walk, mostly too close to the highway, to this pueblecito of Arcahueja, where the privately owned hostel offers full board for a song! A local woman en route was busy rummaging for snails by the path, saying they were delicious. I don't know what will be on the menu here this evening, but I am sure it will also be delicious and more than welcome! And even more welcome will be my upper bunk in the dorm - heaven!

And so, enough for today. I will hopefully post this updated by early next week!

Tuesday May 10th
Now cosily ensconced in the lovely local library in the Royal City of Astorga, where at the height of the Camino passion there were 21 Pilgrim Hospices; now just a handful remain but mine is at the entrance to the old city and is in a delightful old convent, with all mod cons. I am in a very cosy 4-person room with 3 Italians from near Milano, and have the honour of an upper berth. Hopefully I will be able to negotiate it OK in the middle of the night without coming to grief or worse still falling over someone!

Having at this stage successfully completed 80 km (took an afternoon walk the other day when the sun was shining and therefore made up some lost miles) there was cause to celebrate, and a first class lunch at the five star Hotel Gaudi in front of the cathedral set me back a serious 13.50 euro plus tax - scallop stuffed with prawns, delicious barbecued chops, and lemon souffle and as much wine as I liked! I find it is better to have the main meal in the middle of the day as one sleeps better with a light collation later. A visit then to the magnificent cathedral which was begun in 1471, and a different style to Leon´s French Gothic masterpiece : three major cathedrals in five days is quite something on foot and very awe-inspiring!

The weather has been pretty cold and wet - as we are at 900 m I generally I wear 6 or 7 layers which is pretty surprising for this time of year - some people experienced snow a few days ago! Last night I stayed in a small hostel in a tiny village which had neither bar nor shop, and it was the coldest I have experienced, with blankets made of a type of sacking (very penitential!) and three layers on underneath. However the path there and the 11 km from there to here was through undulating countryside with poplar groves and plenty of oak amid the fields of pasture. Up to this it had been relentlessly flat and exposed, with huge fields of young maize and sugar beet. Some sheep to be seen and very few cows until this morning when their lowing woke us all quite early (as well as the cold!). Lots of birds of prey and storks everywhere building their incredible mansions atop the church bell towers. Orchids, broom, oaks in bud and endless other wild flowers make the paths a delight.

Heading into some difficult terrain from now on and will take it easy. The highest spot will be in 6 days time when I will hopefully have reached 1,330 m. I am trying not to think too much about it! For that reason today´s walk was so short : a mere 11 kms but most of it uphill so it took me a good 4.5 hours with rests! I may have to revise my calculations quite a bit but wind and weather will decide a lot too. Lovely people cropping up en route, including Ann Coughlan who knew all about me from her parents who have a summer home on the Coast Road : it´s a pretty small world. I am very much enjoying the benefits of her sheet bag as my own had disappeared!

So far I have received two pilgrim blessings from priests in two towns and been to several masses - so am keeping you all in my prayers and thoughts. I had better not ramble on too much at this stage - but thank you all for your good wishes and hope that they get that sun shining just a little bit more - but not too much! Excuse misspells etc as spell checker doesn´t seem to work here! Hasta la proxima!

Eyjafjallajokull!

Robert Burns famously addressed the little mouse whose carefully crafted nest had been accidentally broken up during ploughing :

But Mousie, thou art no thy lane,

In proving foresight may be vain:

The best laid schemes o' mice an' men

Gang oft agley...

And so my plans, so carefully laid, have gone askew, but at least I still have a roof over my head unlike the poor wee cow'ring tim'rous beastie, and I await a rescheduled flight on Thursday. Perhaps this is the wake-up call we all need about taking unnecessary air journeys? Certainly it is a reminder that Nature's power is mighty and we mere mortals are very small fry indeed.

If I can leave on Thursday then I will begin the walk at Mancilla de las Mulas, a walled town famous for horse-trading whose name comes from mano en silla (hand on the saddle). This will cut down my overall mileage to 345km, 15km short of my initial goal - but I can compensate by walking part of the way to Finisterre after reaching Santiago. However, all is in the lap of the Gods of the Camino - and St James! - and so it should be! I will keep you posted.......

Love and blessings

Packing!

What to bring? Mindful that everything must be carried for up to seven hours daily, weight takes on a major significance in packing the knapsack! The heaviest items will be potions and lotions to keep the sun at bay, the face reasonably protected, and the body and clothes clean. So various 100ml plastic bottles will carry sunscreens, face creams, moisturisers, toothpaste, and shower/wash gel. Mobile phone (with charger and adaptor) is not essential, but good to have for keeping in touch with loved ones, so space will be found for it. My camera is compact and light, and one charge will have to last!

Hostels issue disposable sheets and pillowcases, so a sleeping bag is not necessary and a silk liner together with cotton pareo (which also makes a great scarf or shawl) will suffice as bedclothes, while a muslin cloth will double as towel and pillow cover. Walking trousers that zip off to shorts are highly practical: I will manage with one pair and an extra pair of lightweight shorts. Undies will be down to a minimum : one to wear, one to wash, and a spare or two. Night attire can adapt as sundress, and four tee shirts will be more than ample. A long-sleeved cotton shirt both for additional warmth and as sun protection will be useful, and a light cardi keeps out the chill of early morning starts. A windcheater, hat and poncho will take care of the inevitable rain, and walking socks, boots, and featherlight but sturdy Crocs will protect the vitally important feet!

Blister repair kit, antiseptic cream, sewing things, sun- and reading glasses, medications and small torch will complete the load in my small day pack, and water bottle, documentation, pilgrim passport, copy book for diary, pencil, purse, camera and maps of the route slot into a small bum-bag which worn to the front counterbalances the load. A total of 7kg is a very modest weight to carry, and makes the walk all the more pleasurable particularly on hills.

Laundry can be easily carried out at any of the hostels, most of which have outdoor clotheslines - I must remember to add clothes pegs to the list above! Early starts and early arrivals allow time for the housekeeping issues, and in case of endless rain I can always purchase a few extra items of clothing!

Planning and preparations are all well in train, and the next post will come from the Camino itself - not sure where or when but as soon as I reach an internet cafe or welcoming library! Thanks for the continuing interest in the trip, and as they say en route, Buen camino!

The Route

Many roads lead to Santiago de Compostela. In the middle ages it was the third most important Christian site after Jerusalem and Rome. Irish pilgrims would traditionally have set sail from St James' Gate in Dublin and landed in Ferrol or Coruna and walked the 100 km to Santiago along the Camino Ingles. We completed this in 2007 as our first taste of the Camino experience. Last year we walked from Porto on the Camino Portugues, and this time I am attempting the last part of the Camino Frances or French Way which has Tour Saint-Jacques in Paris as one of its start points.

Flying from Dublin to Bilbao on May 4th, I will check out the new Guggenheim Museum and overnight in the city, before taking a local bus to Sahagun in the province of Leon - a journey of 4.5 hours. Sahagun was formerly an extremely important town on the pilgrim route, boasting the most influential Benedictine monastery outside of Cluny in Burgundy. Its scriptorium produced many priceless manuscripts, and many famous saints and scholars were educated here. In the 1400s it had achieved university status. However, it began to fall out of favour in the 18th century, and was devastated by fire in the 19th. All that remains today is the 12th century chapel of San Manico, but there are many other notable churches and public buildings in the city. I will stay at a hostel run by the Benedictine sisters at the convent of Santa Cruz, and claim the first stamp or sello on my Pilgrims' Passport, a vital document which will entitle me to accommodation at pilgrim hostels all along the route for a very modest sum.

From Sahagun I will walk for 20 days, varying my daily distance from 16 km on the first day to the longest stretch of 26km two days from Santiago. Some stages will be along quiet country paths, while on others there will be a good deal of road waking with attendant traffic. Some days the going will be fairly level, but on days 7 and 8 I will get to an altitude of 1,155m and 1,505m respectively which will be fairly strenuous for me! In Galicia I will expect rain but hope it doesn't pour too often. As this is a Holy Year when the feast of St James, July 25th, falls on a Sunday, there will be many pilgrims en route, but hopefully at this relatively early time of the year the hostels will not be full. There will be long hours of light, and generally I will start walking early and try to arrive at my destination by early afternoon, to grab a decent bunk and do some washing/internetting/exploring before an early bed. Lights out are generally at 10.00 pm, and fellow pilgrims are good about keeping silent after that.

So for now it's back to training, as I try keep up 2 - 3 hours walking daily, though at this stage without a backpack!

Preparations

Hello Everyone!

There are just four weeks left before my Camino Frances walk begins. Already the response to my request for sponsorship for the Cork & Kenya-based charity, Friends of Londiani has been huge, and I am tremendously heartened and encouraged by all of this. Thank you all so much for your great generosity. If anyone else would like to sponsor me just click on http://www.mycharity.ie/event/360k_walk/

Training is beginning, and I hope to build up to a couple of hours per day, though from previous hikes I know there is nothing to beat the actual daily effort on the path, and somehow one seems to get strength to complete the course. The fact that so many other walkers, many of whom are covering far greater distances, are there to give encouragement and support is a great and magical part of the Camino experience.

I have bought the excellent book of route maps produced by John Brierley and have planned my daily mileage, generally covering between 15 - 22 km per day. I will keep my backpack down to the usual 7kg - which is pretty restricting for a three-week hike, but when it has got to be carried for several hours every day, every gramme counts. All the hostels have excellent washing facilities, and hopefully there will be sunshine to dry the smalls!

I will endeavour to keep you all posted on my route as I walk, with visits to internet cafes and libraries every few days to upload photos and updates - blister reports and general Camino gossip. It will be lovely to be able to communicate in this way - and at least you will know that I haven't done a bunk with the money!