Arriving into Santiago de Compostella

We enjoyed a beautiful evening in another  Galician Manor House on the last evening on the Camino where a beautiful meal was enjoyed by everyone and served by our wonderful hosts. The Manor House is surrounded by lush gardens and fruit trees. The region near Santiago is very green and of course it receives rain much of the year. The Galician region has been influenced by the Celtic culture in their music, dress and traditions as well as the weather. We were however very fortunate and only experienced a slight drizzle on one of the days.

 

The last day of our journey we walked 23 kms though beautiful oak forests, along rocky paths and through gum tree forests as well, finally arriving on weary legs to the Monte del Gozo “Mount of Joy”, we could see the city of Santiago de Compostella and the Cathedral below. Another 5 kms to walk.

We arrived into Santiago in the afternoon of 27th May 2010.  It was a joyous moment, even though we hid it well behind our weariness. But we all made it!

Those who wanted to, received their Compostella (Certificate) for  having walked the last 100kms to Santiago. The streets of the city are full of life and people from so many different countries. The old town is a pleasure to wander through, discovering the many small shops, bars and restaurants. On the last evening together we were even treated to some local music, with Paty and Jane showing off their dance steps.

Friendships have been formed and our journey has come to an end as we look forward to sharing stories and photos with loved ones and staying in touch with each other.

I am meeting my next group in Rome next week, for our Journey through Southern Tuscany. You can read about here.

- signing off from Marika, Women's Own Adventure

Important Lessons along the Camino de Santiago in Spain

Thousands of Pilgrims have travelled the path of Saint James all through the centuries, the same path that we have walked.  Each Pilgrim completes their own journey with lessons they have learned along the way.

Here are some of the lessons the group from Women's Own Adventure have learned.

Lesson 1 - available men are in abundance

Lesson 2 - how to stop and smell the roses

Lesson 3 - improved fashion sense

 

Lesson 4 - Social Graces

* the art of napkin folding into unmentionable things (the photo has been censored)

* how to mix our drinks, vino tinto, vino blanco, tinto de verano (red wine, white wine, red wine with soda) at every meal and between meals.

Lesson 5 - Local Customs and Cuisine

* yes, there is a Jamon Museum

* fine dining table service sometimes means 3 courses served in 10 minutes and/or when the waitress stands there not saying anything with a gruff face it means 'may I take your order please?'

* sometimes fruit for desert means a whole apple  or a whole orange on a plate

* listening to flamenco guitar and singing right outside our bedroom window at 11.30pm after walking for the better part of 20kms.

Lesson 6 - A Man's Home is his Palace

There are many bargains to be had when seeking shelter along the Camino.

It is a wise Pilgrim who once said  'No Pain - No Glory' as we nurse our sore and bandaged feet while hobbling along with legs that just don't want to co-operate with the body anymore.

Buen Camino! and it is!

- signing off from Marika, Women's Own Adventure

Walking through pre-Roman and Medieval Villages

It has been a few days since the last entry, as time and a lack of internet access prevented me from updating this blog.

 

Our group of women adventurers are now actively trekking along the Camino de Santiago (The Spanish Pilgrims Trail).  Castrillo de los Polvazares was our starting point for day 3. This is a small Medieval stone village that has been declared a National Monument. Though every village we have walked through is actually a walk through history from as far back as pre-Roman times.  Some villages have restored buildings and others have been left abandoned and with few people.  We walked to Rabanal and stayed in an Albergue overnight where we shared the accommodation with pilgrims from all over the world. Everyone was happy to rest weary legs and attend to blistered feet. That evening we attended the village church and were treated to beautiful singing by the priests as well as a message delivered in many languages for all the pilgrims to hear. The pilgrims are many, with some on bicycle and others walking, though at times we don't meet anyone on the Camino for quite a few kilometers then at other times that pilgrim greeting "Buen Camino" is exchanged over and over again. Most of the pilgrims carry a shell as a symbol. In fact, the symbol of the shell marks the way.

 

At any moment now, the Knights of the Templar should greet us on galloping horses along these Medieval trails; that is the image in my mind. On the road to Villafranca we each carry a stone which we place onto a massive conical pile of stones at the Cruz de Ferro. Adding a stone to the pile is an important ritual  and many pilgrims bring stones from home to place here.

The beautiful green countryside is  dotted with windmills and snow capped mountains as a backdrop for our days of walking.

 

This past day, walking uphill into Cebreiro we have passed by the most beautiful views, with rolling hills covered in multi-coloured wild flowers. Then to arrive at the top of the hill to this pre-Roman village boasting 360 degree views over all the valleys was simply stunning. Josefina, our local guide had a beautiful lunch of Spanish tortilla, salad and fresh bread waiting for us at the top of the hill and it was a very well deserved meal. We then enjoyed a warm bed overnight in this village. Some of the girls have also discovered Tinto Verano, a light red wine and lemon drink which helps cure the sore feet. All the meals we are experiencing are sensational.

- signing off from Marika, Women's Own Adventure.

Starting our walk along the Camino

Our first day along the Camino was very exciting. We began our walk from Puente de Orbigo, one of the most famous bridges along the Camino. The weather had warmed up considerably, so we were faced with bright warm sunshine on our backs, blue skies above and a stone pathway at our feet to lead the way. The walk was only 12 kms today, for which I think everyone was quite thankful. This allowed us to ease into our boots and our walking legs. As the scenery was already so gorgeous with snow capped mountains in the distance and lush green fields along the road, our spirits were high.  Passing though villages we have learned the greeting for fellow Pilgrims along the way as the locals greeted us with 'Buen Camino".

Astorga is the home of magnificent architecture in the form of Roman walls, a 15th Century Cathedral and Gaudi's neo-gothic Bishop's Palace. 

We are all looking forward to tomorrow where our walk will begin from a Castrillo, small medieval stone village, just outside of Astorga. This village has been declared a national monument.

- signing off from Marika, Women's Own Adventure

Arrival into Leon, our starting point

I have traveled to Spain several times, and it never ceases to amaze me how the Spanish people know how to enjoy life. No matter which village, town or city, no matter what day of the week, the streets, bars and restaurants  are filled with people every evening. Their culture is such a wonderfully social one. The days are always long, with the sun still shining at 9:30opm (it is not summer yet), what a wonderful contrast to Sydney, where it was already dark before 6pm when I left the other day. Even though it is quite a lot cooler here, people just rug up and are out on the streets walking, talking, eating, drinking and socialising.

I arrived in the afternoon and found all the shops and services closed for the lunch period (from 2pm to 5pm), except the bars and restaurants. Everything opens again from 5pm till 9 or 9:30pm, so the days become long where a lot of activity can fit into one day. The evening meal is eaten after 9.30pm and the streets are full of activity until past midnight, including small children playing on the streets. Viva! The Spanish people know how to live life!

Leon is one of the most historic towns of Old Castile, with a history spanning from the 11th Century and boasting the beautiful and magnificent Basilica de San Isidoro.  This is considered to be one of the greatest Romanesque treasures along the Pilgrim's Way, and is one of the best examples of a Gothic Cathedral in Spain. Featuring vaulted ceilings, magnificent stained glass windows and flying buttresses.

We will spend some time exploring this beautiful town, once the group of Women's Own Adventure ladies all arrive in the next day or two, before setting off on the start of our Pilgrim's Walk.

- signing off from Marika - www.womensownadventure.com.au

Embarking on the Pilgrims Way in Spain

A group of intrepid women, on a journey with Women's Own Adventure will be departing for the Northern part of Spain this week and I will be accompanying them. The Pilgrim’s Way to Santiago - the Camino de Santiago as it is called in Spanish, or “Way of St. James” is a journey of the soul and spirit, that takes the traveller in the footsteps of millions of others over a millennium, who sojourned from all over Christendom to this green and misty spot in the northwest corner of Iberia to venerate the tomb of the Apostle St. James - Santiago as he is known in Spanish. The site, now known as Santiago de Compostela, came to be Christianity’s 3rd Holy City, along with Rome and Jerusalem, and Santiago became the Christians’ patron saint and inspiration in their long struggle to reconquer Spain from the Moors.

Today, the Camino - “One of the world’s 2 or 3 great journeys”, according to American writer James Michener - is undergoing a renaissance unlike anything known since the 13th century peak of the pilgrimage. Modern-day ‘pilgrims’, like their forerunners, come from all over, but nowadays those with purely religious motives are joined by lovers of adventure, art, history and legends, all with a desire to take part in an experience that is unique in the modern Western world.

Our destination is the cathedral in Santiago’s fabulously preserved medieval centre, which has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in its entirety. We follow the ancient pilgrim’s way through storybook-beautiful landscapes and tiny stone-built villages where time seems to have stopped, visiting Gothic cathedrals and Romanesque chapels, and a profusion of art of all kinds created throughout the centuries in honour of St. James. Over the 1000-year history of the pilgrimage, various principal routes to Santiago evolved. These days most pilgrims follow the so-called Camino Francés or “French Way”, and this is our journey through the most picturesque parts.

Our group will commence walking from Leon on 17th May and end the journey 173kms later when we walk into Santiago de Compostela on the 27th May to collect our stamped Camino Creditionals proving to ourselves and to the world that we have completed our pilgrimage.

Our journey will be documented along the way (with photos) on this blog, so please keep coming back to read about it.
signing off - Marika Martinez , Women's Own Adventure www.womensownadventure.com.au