10 years??? 5 years :)

After doing the the Camino for our 50th we somewhere along our journey decided to return for another on our 60th.

Since returning home, have realised that we just won't be able to wait that long!!! At 55 we will be doing another..yay!! Bit early to start training yet..but gives us a little goal..

how does one stop at one camino????

Where to next???

This is the question we keep asking..

Have been home now for 4 weeks, have just slotted back in where we were 6 weeks ago..but feeling a little different.

We are reading blogs of those on the Camino at the moment..mmmm 2 of them are kiwis..bet they have not heard the Rugby score from last night yet, best we not tell!!!

Living our journey again whilst reading....laughing at the snoring tales.. ah the memories of those nights!!

We are meeting in the morning at 5.30 for a run..maybe we could just put our packs on and walk!!!

End of the World

Now most people would like to put their feet up and rest after walking 765kms, but for some reason pilgrims feel this is not for them. No..they feel compelled to go the extra 90kms to get to "The End of the World". We had come this far..what is an extra 90kms!!!

After 2 nights in Santiago de Compostela our smelly boots were calling out to us....we did have a little problem to fix first..Chris was NOT going to walk the extra 90kms with a backpack!!! Thats her, about to throw the backpack over the balcony!!

Chris had grown to love her boots, Michele had grown to love the backpack..so we packed just basics..(actually we thought that 2 sets of clothes, toothbrush, face cream and deodorant was basic!!!) but we narrowed it down again to fit in one pack and stored the other one for 4 days.

It seemed like the rain might be with us for the next few days.....

but somehow we were still smiling..could hardly see 2 feet in front of us in some spots. The young German boy who took this picture said "I thought Spain was a sunny country!" Didn't we all!! This particular stretch was a 15km walk between bars .... I mean towns. We survived on a chorizo tortilla on pan and a few chocolate bars. May have mentioned already that kit-kat is our chocolate of choice as it is the same spelling in Spain therefore easy for us linguistically challenged pilgrims to purchase. (Lucky we also think they are yummy!!!)
It was 3 days walk to the coast, we forged onwards through the drizzly rain and fog to our first overnight stop - Negreira . We were ahead of the main bulk of pilgrims doing this stage as we were aware there was only 20 beds in this Albergue and we timed it well being pilgrims 9 & 10 to arrive and secure our beds for the night. Chris being the one who had the smart idea to leave her sleeping bag behind in Santiago de Compostela,was desperately searching for a blanket - was able to beg one off the host who took one from the sick bay for her. All set - this left the afternoon free for eating/drinking/socializing. The walk had taken on a party mode now as the main objective was to reach Santiago de Compostela, this extra 90km was for fun! We shopped for some picnic foods and yes vino tinto as that would be our dinner. Settled into the Albergue for the evening, it was quite painful to watch all the pilgrims being told the Albergue was 'complete'. It was located out of the main town and up a hill. Some grimly trudged back into town, others called taxis. Enjoyed our shared party/picnic before retiring to bed. Why does the snorer from hell always end up in our room?? This was to be our last night in an Albergue although always fun and highly entertaining, communal living does have a few drawbacks.
Our next days walk started out in very heavy rain. This was a first for us, we were a little damp and slightly somber, mostly because we knew our incredible journey was nearing its end. We walked to Olveiroa and checked into a really cute hotel/bar. It had been very thoughtfully restored from the old ruins of something a rather. Had a great meal and cheery company of other fellow pilgrims who had all come to eat at our hotel. After dinner we retired to the bar for a night cap. We had a shout, our friend Kate had a shout, we tipped the barman, then he had a shout. Chris was drinking contreau on ice and Michele was still going strong on the vino tinto. It was no surprise we had an excellent nights sleep in our lovely room.
Our last days walk was again in damp foggy weather but we ambled along and before long had some distant ocean views. The seaside villages we walked through were colorful and quaint and we are sure they would be very beautiful on bright sunny day.
We arrived in Finistere around 5pm, conveniently happy hour. The weather had really set in, the wind and rain had really whipped up. We popped into a bar to regroup, dry off and work out our next move. Negotiated a room with the barman, at least we didn't have to go back outside just yet. We needed to get the bus back to Santiago de Compostela at about 8am the next morning so that only left the next few hours to make the final assualt to the cape and lighthouse which was a mere 3.2km away. Fortified ourselves with a couple of vinos (a standard vino is around 20ml so don't be too worried about our livers) and headed back out into the horrendous weather. James our English friend we met on day 2 of our camino appeared and decided to walk to the lighthouse as well, he borrowed a couple of brollys from the barman. and away we went. Grabbed a bottle of bubbles (carva in Spain) armed with plastic cups and away we went. Wind, rain, fog made the going interesting and the brollys were soon turned inside out. We were absolutely soaked but very happy for reaching the Okm marker. We could certainly hear the fog horns but there was no light to be seen. It was easy to see why it has been such a dangerous coastline for ships.
Our happiness turned to hysterical laughter as we walked to the monument in front of the fog horns. They were unbelievbly loud, designed to be heard many miles out to sea - it really rattled us to the core and almost made Michele drop her beloved camera! Popped the bubbles, more hysteria as it was blown sideways before it reached the cups and all the froth and bubbles were blown away.

Had some hugs and some pics., we were at worlds end and the end of our own journey. A mixture of elation and sadness as surely 

such an amazing 6 weeks could not be repeated?

Pulpo Central

Pulpo is the dish of choice in this region..yes of course we have tried it....that is ours on the right.

Suckers tenticals and all .....yuck..we mean ..yum!!!

Vino Blanco is also the go here so we have switched from vino Tinto!

Sauntered into Santiago de Compostela

Since Samos we have covered more than 130kms to reach the end of our Pilgrimage. We have been up many hills, over more medieval bridges, through cobbled streets in old villages, down shady lanes and old oak forests.

At the 65km marker we got our photo taken as this meant we had walked 700kms..Shared this with the 2 Carol´s from Hobart. Finished this evening by watching Barcelona draw/win the soccer.

For all the in depth info you will need to attend our slide night....serving vinto of course.

We just want to let you all know that we have finished but will spare you all the ins and outs of every day.......of our most incredible, amazing, awesome, beautiful, stunning, wonderful journey/ adventure of a lifetime!!!!! Hope you are getting the picture!

We are now heading to "The End of the World" so stay tuned...we plan to have a dip in the Atlantic!

Thursday night we will be slumbing it at the Parador de Santiago - Hostal Reis Catolicos.

Reflections..a pictorial overview of where we have slept and what we have eaten

More to follow soon.

A day in the life of a modern day Pilgrim

We are not really sure that you have the picture of just what is involved in our daily life...so here is a little insight just to set you straight.
Awake at 6.00am when the first eager pilgrim wants to take off, usually to plastic bags rustling.
We are amongst the last to get up. Most places you have to be our by 7.30 or 8.00am.
We stay in our sleeping bags and put on our undergarments(!) if they have been removed at night due to sweating. Could be hot , could be cold , you never know. Should have left the PJ´s at home!!
Then we can get out of our bags, still lying down, put on another layer of clothing, all the while trying to forget that there are about 20 other blokes in the room in various states of undress!!! Lets just say they are not as modest as us, don´t use your imagination here!
Michele then puts on deoderant and reminds Chris to do the same. Reluctantly she does, most times! We then go to do teeth next to some man doing morning abulutions!!!
Next, pack sleeping bag and stuff everything you are not wearing in to the pack. Then unpack again as you have forgotton to fill the water bladder up!


Then to the boot room to pick out your smelly pair,usually the last 2 pairs sitting there! Hang sandals on the outside of your pack along with any wet undies and socks that have not dried overnight, that is if we could have been bothered to wash them the night before.
Now to feed ourselves..we would kill for a pot of tea ...find the nearest bar/cafe that is open.. yes they are all smokey at this hour of the morning!
Cafe con Leche Grande and Tostados with jam and something they call butter.
Choke it all down and then we are on the way. walk about 2kms and find out it is either too hot, too cold, too wet for what you are wearing and you need to strip off/add something, whatever.So of course then we stop and have to take off the back packs and start again.
Then we need the maps because we dont know where we are going..and try to guess where the next coffee stop will be. Then we might want a tissue, try to remember who has them and on what side of whos pack.


Then we need the lip gloss ..same senario again, turtles turning in circles comedy act!


All we have to do is follow the yellow arrows and we are right. When fellow pilgrims ask where we are headed for that night we just say "the town that starts with...." What ever we say is never pronounced right..Chris sometimes gets it..Michele hasn´t a hope..but says she will learn French or German when she is home instead!



Ok have worked up a thirst/sweat need to find a bar pronto. Great one nearby where we meet up with fellow pilgrims exchange horror stories about where we spent the night/enjoyed(?) dinner etc. Only joking it is all the most amazing adventure. Check the time, is it really 11am already - have we only walked 6km with 24k´s to go??



Sun is over the yard arm and Michele is already discussing possible vino tinto venues up ahead. Many pilgrims have shots in their coffees and beers all before 10am (outrageous!!) Must add here all the truck/taxi drivers have a slug of something as well.



Lunch is generally around 2pm, timing is the key as you need not to be in the middle of a forest/meadow/meseta/industrial estate or mountain top. also it needs to be someplace mentioned on a map otherwise they are all very busy having their siesta´s.



Have progressed past ordering a ham cheese bocadilla and moved onto tortilla patata with ensalada which is a perfect compliment to the vino tinto. Can even order sin or con onion - how clever we have become!! Sometimes we have had wonderful picnics in amazing locations. That requires prior planning, a visit to the supermarkado and actually carrying it all with you. Its a struggle, day half over still a long way to the nights destination. Divide the number of k´s left to travel by 4 (our average k´s per hour) then guesstimate our arrival time. This system accurate to the nearest 3hours. It doesn´t take into account the number of chats/vinos/loo´s you stop for.


Now the important part of the day, finding a bed and feeding ourselves (again) and showering. You will have to check back for the next installment on this. (Will talk you thru a communal shower!!)