Camino Primitivo 2018

Hi There! I am walking the camino yet again in two weeks. This time it will be the Primitivo ( the original route) instead of the French Way that I walked the last two times ( Sept/Oct ’15 & Apr/May ’17).

A few things that are different: first off, I am not going alone! My woman , Barb is tagging along ( just kidding ! , one of the reasons that I am excited about the Primitivo is that it will be totally new for both of us – with the exception of Melide to Santiago ) , secondly , this is approximately a two week walk and we have a bit over 3 weeks in Spain so we will have the time to continue on the Muxia/Fisterre after arriving in Santiago . Thirdly, the scaffolding is out of the exterior of the Cathedral and the scaffolding is not yet installed in the interior, so we are hitting a sweet spot of a non construction zone Cathedral within decades. Fourth, I am walking for the first time with properly fitting footwear . I will try to post a video to explain this soon . Fifth, I am sporting a nifty new Camino tattoo . Sixth, I am carrying a considerably smaller ( & lighter ) CPAP machine . Seventh, Barb is coming too and I get to watch her experience her first Camino.. this may seem like a repeat of #1 but it is a matter of perspective. Eighth, the Primitivo is reported to be a bit more challenging physically ( probably should have trained) , less traveled, and extremely beautiful .

I am considering reprising the pulling of tarot cards as a way to keep this journal ( and my days of contemplation) interesting. Perhaps this time a multiple card spread ( because I am evolving !)

To Santiago….

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Someone once said… ” I feel strongly both ways”.. That  jewel of wisdom pretty well summed up my feelings of the day I was to walk into Santiago. I did not want that part of my experience to end, however if I dragged my heels to savor it longer, I would be changing the way I was approaching my camino, which was to just walk as far as felt right at the pace that felt right. Any intentional adjustments would have killed the whole thing and I would have had to go back to SJPdP and start all over again. That being said, I will approach this bloggy thing in the same spirit as I have all along..

Perfect weather, I walked alone part of the way , and with a friend part of the way, but into Santiago alone…

   

     
    
    
    
        

 

   
    
    
    
  This busload of Japanese tourists pulled up, and this lady wanted to have her picture taken with real pilgrims. They were very deliberate in placing the backpack to show the shell. Jeremy & I asked them to take the same shots with our camera. After reviewing, it turned out that the gentleman taking the pics put 20 plus images on my phone, and 87 on Jeremy’s ..  
   
   

I had heard all about the vicious dogs on the camino, this one almost tail-wagged and slobbered me to death…

    
    
    

These are weekend peregrinos . Note the tiny backpacks. 
    
 

   
    
     
    
    
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  Here I am…   
  
     
    
  My alburgue … Massive place, must have taken me 10 minutes to walk to my room. But it is a private room ( shared bath down the hall) is only 13€….pretty good deal…  
 I will talk more about the evening in my next installment…

2 days 2 go 2 santiago?

This is the first time I have pulled a reversed card all Camino..

   
  
What a beautiful walk. I confess i did get a bit annoyed by some loud talking ” pilgrims” with clean new tennis shoes .. I mean, what is with that? Especially on the last stretch, I think many of us who have been walking in silence and solitude for weeks would like to end that way…

The weather was beautiful, and the 23k walk to Pedrouzo was effortless…

   
    

  

  

  

  

   
    
    
   

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

   
    
    
    
  There is another guy in a Beatles shirt… 
Tomorrow, God willing, I will land in Santiago….. Then what? … I do not know…

Really getting close

I left my ” Barbie Dream House” alburgue early..

     

   
I had no idea how far I was to walk, the guidebook suggested a 25.6 run, but I was doubtful my feet would cooperate. I am also enjoying the activity and all the associated benefits so much that I am inclined to drag my heels a bit.. Regardless of inclinations, walking was on the agenda, so walk I did…

   

  

  

  

  

  

   

    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  I missed the 50k to go marker, so i took a shot of me @ the 49. Had to sit in a pricker bush to get this selfie..

  
  I ate an apple here…  
    
 Walking into Ribadiso. 25.6k   
A very nice , old yet very well restored 6€ alburgue. My room.. 

  My drinking companion..  
  As promised, more body parts. My feet should get a lot of credit for their contributions to the success of this venture..

  
MY buddy again…
    
 
Tomorrow?  We shall see…

?????= Palas de Rei

Another great day, it warmed up early. Although I don’t want to play too much of the”What I have learned on the Camino”game , I am noticing a lot of people dress for the weather forecast from their phone ( often wrong) instead of looking at what is actually happening weatherwise. I was walking aling in a tee shirt, and there were people walking by in raincoats and fleeces sweating up a storm. That would transform a pleasant walk to an uncomfortable one..

Pics…

   
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  I had a room for 4 all to myself

  
Dinner… 

 
Not the most picture worthy day, but the weather was perfect, the walking surfaces were good, I spoke to some nice folks along the way and I am at a point where I am doing all I can to savor the Camino experience…

Sarria to Portomarín. (hit the  100k to Samtiago marker)

I pulled the queen of wands

  
     
And the weather was forcasted to be rainy … 

 
It sprinkled a bit, beautiful walking weather..

I started out today, with no concept of my days destination. The rain,and my reluctance to stop on one of the “Brierly guidebook suggested stops”because the word is that after Sarria, it is impossible to get a room because Sarria is the shortest distance one can walk and still get a compostela ( certificate of awesomeness) .. Nonetheless, I happliy trudged along and found myself 22.? K further along than when I started the day, and plopped my backpack, my sorer than usual feet, and my tired bones in an alburgue in Portomarín ( the villamartin , if you are stalking me)..

Real nice walk, mostly alone but chatted a bit with Becky, a woman of England, for approximately 85 minutes..

Here are some pics.. 


  Sheba.. The perro-grino

  

  

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       At what I thought was the 100k marker, because everyone else was lining up for pictures in front of it. It was the 100.5 k marker..

    At the  real 100k to go marker…    

  

    
  Becky..
    
    
    
    
    
  Not much more to say about today, other than that I decided to do laundry because they have a washer and dryer. The but washer stole my money, and the dryer doesn’t dry clothes at all. Hoping I will have dry socks in the morning.. We will see ..

Triacastela to Sarria . What a pleasure..

Frustrating bunk room issues, I am over them..

My card…   

   Great walk, words cannot describe( what a cop out, Jay! )..?0k, it was a pleasant, scenic, beautiful, solitary, contemplative, satisfying, meditative, or as my dad might have said, “just dandy” walk..,
But maybe, just maybe, pictures can add more to your understanding of what I am trying to convey …

  
       

  

  

  

  

  

  

  Mid morning snack..

   

    

    
 
    
    
My alburgue was connected with an artisans woodshop…

    
    
  
  Jeremy…

     

    
    
  Sarria was very cool, it was a shame most of my ambling time was Sunday afternoon, when everything was closed… 

Where do I begin? 

It has been a while since I have had internet, so I will do my best to recreate the past..

When we last spoke, our hero, your’s truly, was waiting to have dinner in Ruitelán… dinner was nice, the hosts were entertaining, the music was good, and all 3 courses were excellent..

   
    
    
 
Early to bed, read a bit, and zonked off  at about 9 pm, before anyone else was in the room. Absolutely  the coldest sleeping situation yet, I was so cold that I would not even reach up to get another blanket which I knew was on the empty bunk above me..

In the morning, I decided to walk with Kim, a friend who had showed up at my alburgue slightly before dinner. When I had last seen her, we were walking out of Astorga . She had subsequently developed leg problems, and had to rest a few days in Ponferrada, where she had rented a  bike to ease up on her leg… 

 
The normal walk from Ruitelán to O’Cebreiro would normally be about 8.6 km , on a path, uphill. Since Kim had a bike to ride/push, we opted to take the road ( the gray line) which is a bit longer. But we soon found out we were taking the wrong road,and were actually on the red road, the n-vi highway , which led away from our intended destination of O’Cebreiro, so we also had to take that gray road , uphill, to get where we wanted..it was considerably longer than expected , but it was a nice walk…

Pics from that walk… 

    
    
    

    
    
    

    
   
And Finally into O’Cebreiro.. A picturesque little village with a great view and a lot of giftshops and where cocacola and wine and bread cost twice as much as anywhere else on the Camino.. 

   
    
   
The alburgue was big and cramped and cold, but adequate. They say that the character of the alburgues change in Galicia, i find myself hoping this is not typical. Otherwise, hotels and Casas Rural may be in the cards…

Speaking if cards, on Saturday morning i pick

  
Something to ponder over my beautiful trek to…………………………………………….Triacastela 

   
  

   
    
   
< insert more pics here, Jay>

                                                         

I finally worked up the nerve to take a picture of Noemie’s graffiti. She had been littering the entire camino from St. Jean PDP along the whole Camino Frances, and it was really bothering me. That all changed, as i was walking out of Molinseca several days ago; there were few waymarkers

                                             
I get into Triacastela shortly before 3, and get a bed which later in the day become hard to find. I try to shower, just a trickle of cold water.. & I go out for a decent dinner,barely adequate beverages, and great conversation with a Jeremy, a friend  from the great state of California.

& I did find a roll of scotch tape and mended my book, which was in bad shape.. 

 
Oh yes, last night was also characterized by obnoxious people in my bunk room. This one guy watched me pack my bag while sitting on the floor while he kept his shaving kit on a chair snuggled right up against his lower bunk. 

Todays card….

  
Looks familiar….

  
More to come… Stay tuned

Reluctantly left Alburgue Leo and walked somewhere else…

I must say, i really liked the Leo. I had a pasta dinner with some fellow pilgrims, and zonked out 10ishly..

Unfortunately, had a brazen farter in the room, and I realized that all the hulabaloo about snoring is way overplayed…

Walked alone all day, from Villafranca del Bierzo to Ruitelán, only about 16.3 k . I sarted 9ish, and finished 2ish..Staying in an alburgue that was given good reviews for the vegetarian food, nut i am still perplexed about the spanish definition of vegetarian. Are tuna and pork fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, or herbs? 

The walk itself, although much of the time cozied up against a major roadway, was actually pretty nice because it was also running along the Rio Valcarce most of the way…

   
    
   
    
 

 
   
    
  
  

    

  

  

  

   

    
    
    
    
    
   
Can’t wait for dinnner..