Buen Camino (Bob)

Back in 1995, Robert and I used dial-up connections to send Spain reports to friends.

In 2024, Wendy and I will use this blog to post Spain reports for friends.

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Day 35: Lavacolla to Santiago (Guendolinam’s version)

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  Everything Bob said is factual, so I won’t repeat the story of our walk to Santiago, only to add that much of it was disappointingly similar to the walk into other biggish cities, standard suburban and urban sprawl fare. I also found that while Bob had an extra spring in his step today, I kept unintentionally walking more slowly, apparently unwilling to have the walk end. On the outskirts of town, we passed rows upon rows of what looked like bunkers. Bob hypothesized they were military, government, or industrial buildings. I guessed an albergue. When we came to the heart of the complex and saw they had a laundromat, store, cafe, restaurant, and farmacia, we knew I was right. We later passed two pilgrims squatting outside one building with an open door, next to lines of drying laundry. I’m grateful we are staying in the complete opposite to the albergue bunkers—a parador.  The Parador dos Reís Católicos was commissioned by Ferdinand and Isabella in 1499 as a pilgrim’s hospita...
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Day 35: Lavacolla to Santiago (Bob’s version)

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We finished! I had a difficult time staying asleep last night because I was so excited about finishing the Camino. We got up in our cozy bunk beds—Wendy and I each had bottom bunks in our own little four bed section—and we packed up and left in the dark. The sky was clear and we started the day climbing, so I was hoping for nice sunrise pics on our last day. Unfortunately, the path curved the wrong way and then ducked into trees, so that’s too bad.  [Imagine a nice sunrise picture] With a couple miles to go, we climbed a little hill to the side and spotted the cathedral in Santiago for the first time. You can barely make it out in the center of this photo.  We got closer… And closer… And then we made it! We picked up our certificates, which include the Latin versions of our names (Robertum and Gwendolinam), and then hung out in the large plaza outside the cathedral. This is where pilgrims enter from different portals depending on which route they took.  In the plaza, we g...
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Burguette to Larrasoaña (Bob)

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We want to strike a balance between over-planning and winging it. We booked the first two stops in advance because of the crowds and limited accommodations, but after that, there are enough options that you should be able to walk until you feel done in, and then you stop in the next town and check in. That worked great in Burguette, but not so well in Larrasoaña. We were tired when we got there, and spent an hour trying to find a place that wasn’t full or closed for the season. We finally found a public hostel (albergue) in the small town. There was only one place to eat—the town market—but the owner made us a delicious chicken meal. It all worked out. Still, we started booking reservations the day before so that we don’t have to wander around on sore feet.
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