ensuitepilgrim's Blog

Post Brexit blues and Donald Twunt, plus January skies…will need to look long and deeply, I feel.

So, positively now …All the family and and a fifth grandchild in a week or two. Walking with Sutton Ramblers has been enjoyable and discovering” new” places, albeit within a 30 mile, or so, circumference. Short break in Lisbon, planned for March. Allotment planting plan done for the Spring, seeds ordered. Good news that my sister, Penny, is joining Mac & I, for the final stages of the Via de la Plata, in May. Crossings booked from Italy to Greece & return , with the campervan, in July.

 

Have continued with Spanish conversation lessons, with Almudena, whose enthusiasm makes an early Saturday morning start, worthwhile. New music comes apace, but I have to confess to feeling a little out of touch, these days. But two gigs to look forward to. Quill in Lichfield on the 28th January and in February,Transatlantic Sessions , featuring Tift Merrit, at The Symphony Hall.

Not exhaustive, I almost forgot the removal of two trees from the garden, next month and hopefully being able to plug a leak in the pond!

 

Plenty to plan for , do and enjoy, then. Hope you all have, too.

 

Birthday present , from the family. Sometimes it’s  useful to be predictable. For over 50 years,  I have loved steam engines…confession, I used to trainspot fervently; I was not a dabbler. For three years, 12 – 14 , any pocket money I raised was saved for trips, to various parts of England, usually on a Sunday – To the engine sheds or junctions, where we fastidious spotters could track down exotic engines called Mallard, or, King George V, depending on what , to use today’s term, ” network” , we were enamoured of. As Bham New Street’ s approach tunnels were so low, none of the great Pacific locomotives could access the platforms. Deprivation, being my state of grace, I had to travel, to see the great engines. As far as York, or Bristol , wherever .

Elsewise, regular travels to Tamworth, on a Saturday, where we had the LMS line traversing the Trent Valley line; best of both worlds. Though, nothing replicated the shout of “Pegs in the Main”‘,  as a 4-6-2,Stanier hurtled through on the Trent Valley.Mum’s egg & cress sandwiches to devour, enjoying the place. Ought to say ,I am not apologising for being  a “trainspotter” – still am – it opened up England to me, and our industrial heritage . Allowed me to travel anywhere in the Uk, at thirteen years,.Nothing compares – X Box ? No wonder Santa is laughing his cock off.

 

Two “Black” Fives pulling us along, down and up the Lickey Incline. Both with 65 c plates, on the front, which meant that originally, their home shed was Fort William!

The journey was made all the more interesting , by the informative booklet, supplied by the company, The Railway Touring Company, giving background detail of the route, plus timings and gradients…also, ghostly ,passing places of stations, closed long ago.

Nothing ethereal about the refreshments, breakfast, and later mulled wine and mince pies , first of the season for me and fittingly, on the first Sunday of Advent. Tea, on the return journey was good, too.

 

 

There was a timely stop at Hereford, allowing time for photos of these now, nearly 80 years old, magnificent engines.

 

Can’t ever remember travelling First Class,  before, but it was fun;  used to Cattle Class, on airlines, that  should not remain nameless. No prizes.

Cardiff was a revelation . My foggy memories of the Welsh capital are blurred by well drunken visits to rugby internationals and none of them, that recently. On leaving Central Station, the atmosphere was European, cafes and Victorian arcades, pedestrians to the fore.

 

Lunch at Bill’s, a small , growing chain of restaurants , that does what it says on the tin.

 

Bus out to Tiger Bay and the waterfront makeover  – magnificent, memories of Cape Town. The very helpful guy, in the excellent tourist office , Said  that you would not come down  here, in the 70s / 80s, which explains my comment to my good friend David Condon, before a matc then , when we were driven there :- ” Is this the arse – end of Cardiff ?  What a redemption.

 

It was getting dark, the photos don’t do it justice, but I included  them because even on a greyish afternoon, it was more than impressive and this was merely a whistlestop  tour. Will be back, if only to eat at The Bosphorous Turkish restaurant !

 

 

“I like trains. I like their rhythm, and I like the freedom of being suspended between two places, all anxieties of purpose taken care of: for this moment I know where I am going.”
― Anna Funder, Stasiland: Stories from Behind the Berlin Wall

Long train running the doobie brothers.

 

Thanks to the Family for an imaginative and enjoyable railway journey.

 

 

 

I’ll sing you this October song,
Oh, there is no song before it.
The words and tune are none of my own,
for my joys and sorrows bore it.

Beside the sea
The brambly briars, in the still of evening,
Birds fly out behind the sun,
and with them I’ll be leaving.

It seems appropriate to commence a blog, with lyricism, especially as October saw Bob Dylan given the Nobel Prize for Literature , however , the above lines are taken from a song by The Incredible String Band.

The previous week end, we enjoyed  a walk with Sutton Ramblers around the environs of Lichfield; there must have been about a dozen stiles to surmount, all in various stages of either disrepair , or …     design – I am not fond of them, but managed them all without tearing my trousers! Hope to join them for another 9 mile Circular, commencing in Willey, Leicestershire. No more rambling on about that.

We spent a few days in and around Whitstable, Kent. An area new to me and easily found ,after an un eventful drive down. The principal reason for the visit was the occasion of a 70 th birthday – a longtime friend , or almost lifetime friend, I should say. She made excellent arrangements for a good number of friends to join her celebrations, over three days, including accommodation, cocktails, dinner party, restaurant visits and walks for the strong hearted…. Memorable evenings. As mentioned, there was time to walk and to make excursions. Whitstable , itself, is a great, little town with its working harbour, a range of welcoming pubs and quirky shops – all blessed with sunny weather – I am sure it must benefit from some kind of micro climate.

 

We walked seven miles or so to Herne Bay, the sea on our left, along walkways and paths, enjoying a coffee in a sea front bistro, before returning on the bus , for lunch on the beach at the Neptune Inn, pictured above. Herne Bay is an unremarkable enough place, with a pier and usual seafront gaming booths and tat, but it has a well kept air about it and is  a decent terminus for a walk.

 

Thursday ‘s activity was an  excursion, again by a very good,local bus service, to Canterbury. In all the many times, over 45 years or more, driving to & from Dover,Cantrrbury had never been visited; something to put right.

“The last temptation is the greatest treason: To do the right deed for the wrong reason.”

The Archbishop Thomas Becket speaks fatal words before he is martyred. A quotation from T S Eliot’s play, “Murder in the Cathedral”, which he wrote in 1935, for the Canterbury Festival and which I studied for English Literature “O” Level. I was curious to visit both the spot where he was murdered and to see the revered place where a candle burns – Henry VIII having ordered Becket’s tomb to be removed. Furthermore, of course, there was my wish, as a Pelegrino, to visit the Cathedral, England’s most famous pilgrimage site….” the right deed, for the right reason”.

 

The tomb of the  Black Prince is also nearby: apparently the ” black” was a reference to the colour of his armour, not his pigmentation. He was called “Edward of Woodstock” in his early life, after his birthplace, and since the 16th century has been popularly known as the Black Prince. He was an exceptional military leader, and his victories over the French at the Battles of Crécy and Poitiers made him very popular during his lifetime. In 1348 he was made a Founding Knight of the Garter. As a boy, I was a,ways fascinated by his appellation, which probably explains why he was so popular, but not with ” proper ” historians.

 

The cathedral is a most impressive place and could easily have taken up the entire day. The grounds alone are wide ranging, spreading out from the cloisters, where we met two fully armed police officers, inspecting the heraldry. They were quite approachable and explained that all famous sites in the U.K. were regarded as possible terrorist  targets and that  they were part of the deterrence. I didn’t ask them for a ” selfie”….❌.

So, now, I know a little more about the ” Garden  of England”and a lot more about Canterbury , including its impressive,remaing walls, which we walked along and its famous “Kings’ Mile”, shopping lane, which did not quite live upto its reputation for creativity and artisanship. My other Canterbury link, Chaucer’s Tales”,which I studied for “A” Level, were in evidence, non more so than in the Canterbury Tales Museum, in St Margaret’s St – a light hearted walk through the Tales, imaginatively presented, with just the right amount of bawdiness !

“What is better than wisdom? Woman. And what is better than a good woman? Nothing.”
― Geoffrey Chaucer

Our friends also recommended trips to Broadstairs, Chatham and Faversham, Höme of the well regarded Shepherd Neame Brewery; the beer was well represented in nearly every pub I saw – not visited, I hasten to add ! Although I will finish with one of the pubs we visited – The Peter Cushing – a Wetherspoon’s pub, a conversion of a former Bingo Hall , with its Art Deco theme. Apparently, Cushing retired to Whitstable, having earlier bought a house there. He was a popular figure in the community and after he died a vantage point over the beach has been named after him. Given his association with the Horror genre, a reference to Halloween”, might have been expected, not from me.

 

However, I loathe the way this has been Americanised and defiled, so I shall finish with a quotation, from an American poet, whose work is rightly loved everywhere.

Robert Frost

” O hushed October morning mild, 
Thy leaves have ripened to the fall; 
Tomorrow’s wind, if it be wild, 
Should waste them all. 
The crows above the forest call; 
Tomorrow they may form and go. 
O hushed October morning mild, 
Begin the hours of this day slow. 
Make the day seem to us less brief. 
Hearts not averse to being beguiled, 
Beguile us in the way you know. 
”

 

 

 

 

 

 

A good  week since returning from the Camino,  overall. My daughter, Hannah, went on a day’s baking course in Lichfield and came back with five loaves, she had made ( no fishes ) and declared it one of the best birthday presents she had ever had! Tasted one of them, a Bloomer, wonderful.There was also a ” Share and Tear”, a “Hedgehog”, but best of all, one I christened a “Camino Batch”.

 

Just look at that shell motif ; equal to Tarta de Santiago. The post came quite late, today and in it,  was another reason to be cheerful…a clearance letter from  Good Hope Hospital, Urology department, stating that my recent CT Scan had shown no sign of reoccurrence of the disease.

 

Right from the beginning of our Camino, which went so well, for all three of us,Penny, my sister, would declare that Santiago was looking after us! Well, maybe he still is….

 

 

Another, maybe even more significant decision I made, as a consequence of the Camino, was to go back to the gym, after an absence of 30 months or more .  Thinking of that final, 400km  section of the Via de la Plata, which I am beginning to plan .Been twice this week and will gradually build up my routines on the treadmill, bike and cross trainer. Very new machines there, now,all singing, all dancing – Sky Sports on each, which can provide a welcome distraction, as well as listening to Audible, through earphones and I-Pad.

Perhaps I can justify a celebratory meal out, especially as the kitchen work tops have just been sanded and oiled, today; time for them to dry out. Buen Camino to you all, wherever and whenever you are walking.

 

Our final stage turned out to be 25 KM, as our accommodation was situated on the far side of the city. Once again, the Correos had delivered our Morchillas; for € 20 each, this was both a great service and real value. The route in to S de C changes as you leave the countryside.

The Camino passed by the runway of Santiago Airport,the  path took us through the hamlet of San Paio where there is a restaurant and a small hotel, and then through to the village of Lavacolla.

In ancient times when pilgrims were close to the end of their pilgrimage it was customary to stop at a stream which flowed through the village now known as Lavacolla, to wash themselves before making their final journey down to the cathedral. The name is said to derive from the pilgrims taking particular attention in washing their backsides because literally translated Lavacolla means washing the tail.

Around the village there are a number of café/bars, hostels and hotels.

The Camino passes the Iglesia de Benaval which is dedicated to a local man called Juan Pourón who during some local unrest was sentenced to death by the local magistrates. Just as he was about to be hung he shouted out to the Virgen de Belen (Virgin of Bethlehem) “ven e valme” which roughly translated means come and save me. The Virgin heard his plea and sent him straight to heaven thus preventing a painful death through hanging.

The Camino continues down some quiet roads and down through the village of Vilamaior where there is a casa rural and an old pazo converted into a hotel. Continuing on Past a couple of television stations belonging to Television Galicia as well as for the main Spanish channel Television de España. Just a little further on is San Marcos where there are a couple of café/bars.

About 1 kilometre from the village of San Marcos was a resting place before the final short trek into Santiago de Compostela, the extremely large pilgrim complex of Monte do Gozo. It is tradition that if you are walking in a group the first of your group to arrive at Monte do Gozo will be designated a pilgrim King (or Queen if it happens to be a woman).
The name Monte do Gozo means mount of joy. After the pilgrims had finished their wash at Lavacolla they would ascend to the top of the hill which looked out over the beautiful town of Santiago de Compostela and the spires of the cathedral in the distance. The joy came from what the pilgrim felt at seeing his journey’s end. In the complex ! there is a statue of two pilgrims looking out toward the cathedral. There is also a modern sculpture that was put up to commemorate the visit of Pope John Paul II visit in 1993. He performed a mass here to thousands of people.

 

In ancient times, the tradition was that pilgrims would walk the last 4.5 kilometre stretch barefoot, however I wouldn’t recommend it.

From the albergue ,the path Went past the Capilla de San Marcos where there is a little picnic area. The path continues downhill passing a house with various creatures made from concrete in its garden. From here the path continues down some steps and over a bridge across the motorway. We then entered the area known as San Lázaro, one of Santiago’s suburbs where there are a number of café/bars and other shops as well as a tourist information office . After crossing the motorway we walked down Rúa do Valiño and past the Iglesia de San Lázaro. Continuing down Rúa do Valiño the road soon becomes Barrio das Fontiñas and then at the main junction take the Barrio de los Concheiros.

Matt and I posed  for a photo , at the base of a statue of a knight, whose role  to protect Pilgrims.

The path went through a small square or plaza where there is a cross to Homo Sancto and then down Rúa San Pedro and then to Porta do Camiño. This is the traditional entry point for pilgrims into the old town of Santiago de Compostela.

The path now went back down the Rúa das Casas Reales, across the Plaza de Parga and the Plaza de Animas, then left down to the Plaza Cervantes and right down Calle Azabachería to the Praza da Immaculada, taking some steps down past the side of the cathedral and down a walkway under the Arco del Obispo which will took us  into the Plaza del Obradoiro and the front of the cathedral.

We decided to get our Compostelas in the evening, also a certificate of the distance you have walked is available for€ 3.00. Both are excellent souvenirs.

You are entitled to a Compostela as long as you’ve completed at least 100 kilometres of the Camino and you have had your pilgrim passport or credencial stamped along the way. This credencial is proof of where you have been. If you have undertaken the Camino for spiritual or religious reasons you will be given the traditional Compostela.

Going back to the Plaza del Obradoiro We admired the 15th century Hostal de los Reyes Católicos. This now very grand parador hotel was once a pilgrim hostal founded by the catholic monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella and is regarded as one of the oldest hotels not only in Spain but the whole world.

There is so much to see in Santiago de Compostela, it really does have one of the most stunning old towns , of any city I’ve ever been to. Not only has it got a truly impressive cathedral , but there are a large number of other historic buildings worth visiting.

In the Praza do Obradoiro there is the 18th century Pazo de Raxoi built for Archbishop Raxoi by the French engineer Charles Lemaur. It is now used as the main council offices and some of the local government departments of the Xunta de Galicia.

The Cathedral itself is vast covering around 10,000 square metres. It was originally consecrated in the very early 13th century, having been commission by Alfonso VI the king of Leon and Santiago’s first Archbishop Diego Gelmirez. The cathedral has been added to over the years, but the Portico de la Gloria designed by the sculptor Master Mateo was an original feature. The twin Baroque towers, the iconic symbol of the cathedral were added in the late 18th century. Apparently, taking 80 years to construct.

We spent time in the Museo de Pelegrinos, the Cathedral and the Abastos Market, plus wandering the enticingly interesting alleys and Travesias. As Penny said, you would need at least three days , to do the city any kind of justice. As a regular visitor, myself, I always discover a Praza , or monument, I had not noticed before. Both Penny and Matt commented on the special  ” atmosphere”; not over commercialised, but were  able to buy the inevitable T- shirts and Pins!

We enjoyed the spontaneous , musical performances , as we strolled about, ranging from a Galician pipe band, to a group of Portuguese lads, singing A Capella – better looking and better singers than Take That; incongruously enough, they finished their set with ” Swing Low, Sweet Chariot “.

 

Santiago has many green spaces and we enjoyed a walk around the Alameda park, especially the Bougainvillea, and our two ornithologists were pleasantly surprised by some of the residents.

 

 

Penny and Matt’ s preparatory , training walks had proved effective and none of us were troubled by blisters, aches and pains ( thanks to Ibruprofen in my case ). I was really pleased that they enjoyed all the aspects of a Camino, the landscapes, the hamlets, wildlife, the unexpected, fellow Pelegrinos , the food and wine . Pretty happy with the weather, too. For myself, I was pleasantly surprised that the numbers on the Camino Frances section, though many, were not overwhelming and we were able to continue to enjoy quiet stretches along the way. I think my usual walking companion, Mac McConnell, would have enjoyed it too, were it not for the fact that he was battling storms in Italy, on the last leg of his journey to Rome, along the Francingena.

Finally, photos of my sister and brother, loving their first Camino; let’s hope it is the first of many.

“Few people know how to take a walk. The qualifications are endurance, plain clothes, old shoes, an eye for nature, good humor, vast curiosity, good speech, good silence and nothing too much….”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Setting off for O Pedrouzo, in the aforementioned rain was not too bad, as we were well protected and we walked under a lot of tree canopy, very common to trails in Galicia. The countryside , here, is never overwhelming, characterised as it is by forests  and valleys, however, it is verdant and has a calming effect, together with tiny, sometimes semi- abandoned,  hamlets, often with no apparent name; mysterious.

 

We made steady progress, throughout the morning and reached our Pensione, Estrella Dorada, in time for a light lunch.

 

O Pedrouzo is a tiny place, not a lot to see, but some friendly bars and restaurants. We had time to plan our last section, for the next day, to Santiago de Compostela.

 

Because of the rain, neither Penny, nor I took many photos on this stage , but here are some earlier pics, which captured the Camino for us, so far.

 

Penny and Matt, as first- timers, took a great deal of interest in collecting” Sellos, “the stamps required in your Pilgrim Passport, from places along the way, which included a range of stops, from the great cathedral in Lugo, to a donkey stop in a field!

If you look closely, you can spot the donkey.

Matt, looking very pleased with his collection, to date.

 

Fairer  weather forecast for the last day’s walk, which was to be one of contrasts.

 

 

 

 

At Hotel Suiza, Arzua, we rested up after another, great walk in the sunshine. We met Mac, an Irish-American, from Boston. He had a colourful history, emigrating in hie early 20s and working as an “illegal “, for six years until he bought a 1000 28 cent stamps and made the same number of applications for a Green Card; he got one and joined the armed forces, ending up as a Marine, doing tours in places like Iraq. After that he took on the role of providing armed protection for VIPS, over there . At 50, he is now retired and was at a loose end, until he watched the movie, ” The Way”, which so affected him, that he decided to walk the Camino, in the hope it would give his life some focus.  He was hooked, like so many Americans, by the film. He was good company, though outrageously Republican in his views. He resembled a ” roamer”, a name given to the early pilgrims to Jerusalem, Rome and Santiago.

We also met a lady, over dinner, there, from Nashville, who was walking her first Camino, organised by a firm called Caminoways”. She got off to a bad start , as the airline “lost” her luggage , during a flight transfer, between Nashville and New York, which meant she had to walk her first day , in sweltering heat, in her civvies. However, with the help of her daughters on the phone, back home, she was reunited with her luggage, the next day. She was a formidable lady and I should have loved to have been a fly on the wall, during her conversation with travel company, who she described as……. After a bottle of Ribeiro, she had cheered up and gave Penny, Matt & I , a parting present of a pin each, tiny brooches, she had bought in Sarria. In that inimitable twang, she wished us good night, with ” Been good talking to y’all”.

Our  forecast for the next day’s walk to O Pedrouzo, was steady rain. So ponchos to the fore.

THIS IS FOR MAC, BUEN CAMINO

6 months, 2 weeks, 4 days,
and I still don’t know which month it was then
or what day it is now.
Blurred out lines
from hangovers
to coffee
Another vagabond
lost to love.

4am alone and on my way.
These are my finest moments.
I scrub my skin
to rid me from
you
and I still don’t know why I cried.
It was just something in the way you took my heart and rearranged my insides and I couldn’t recognise the emptiness you left me with when you were done. Maybe you thought my insides would fit better this way, look better this way, to you and us and all the rest.
But then you must have changed your mind
or made a wrong
because why did you
leave?

6 months, 2 weeks, 4 days,
and I still don’t know which month it was then
or what day it is now.
I replace cafés with crowded bars and empty roads with broken bottles
and this town is healing me slowly but still not slow or fast enough because there’s no right way to do this.
There is no right way to do this.

There is no right way to do this.”
― Charlotte Eriksson

 

After a complicated, but extremely smooth journey, from Bham to Gatwick, by coach overnight, dawn flight to Santiago de Compostela, then transfer by coach to Lugo, my sister, Penny and brother Matthew found time enough to explore Lugo, before setting off on our mini Camino to Santiago de Compostela, of about 115 KM.

 

We enjoyed a great night in the city, after exploring the historic centre and amazing Cathedral.

 

Saturday morning was misty , as we set off along the river, having crossed the Roman Bridge, en route.

 

The sun soon burned off the mist and we walked  through glorious Galician landscapes of valleys and forests; pausing at the gateway to this Finca, with its commemorative ,Camino decorations. The good looking one is Penny!

 

After a couple of hours walking we were glad to find a place for coffee and a takeaway bocadillo for lunch, in a tiny hamlet.

 

Penny was intrigued by the Horreos, granaries, that were installed near farmhouses and soon built up quite a collection of pictures. They are used to store maize and because of their design, impervious to rodents. Albergue Ponte a Nave was our first night’s stop and we thought it was an excellent place , overjoyed on arrival, after 31 KM,  and relieved that our rucksacks had arrived by the Mochilla transfer service,run by the Correos ( Spanish Post Office ). This amazingly cheap service was booked for our entire Camino, by telephone in Lugo. We imbibed a couple of local, Craft beers then partook of the communal dinner , which was very tasty, too.

 

The next morning was again misty, but after breakfast, we strode out , directly on to the Camino and for the rest of the day, we enjoyed brilliant sunshine and I absorbed a great deal of hitherto, unrealised knowledge of Galician birdlife, both Matt and Penny being keen on ornithology. Now ,I know what a Black Redstart looks like and that there are Honey Buzzards. Well, by now I was looking for lunch, which we ate in the courtyard of a little Parillada, stopping afterwards to refresh ourselves at a drink stop, provided for Pelegrinos, by the locals.

 

 

We arrived in Melide to find a wine festival taking place, with throngs of mainly young people in themed T-shirts , having a great time and drinking a mixture of local Red and CocaCola…..yes, exactly. Despite the numbers , the noise and the music, the most intoxicating thing was the fun filled atmosphere,with no signs of boorish behaviour . At this point, the Primitivo , in effect ends, as the Camino joins the Frances, the best known and most walked of all the Caminos. As this a first Camino for Penny and Matt, with time constraints of a week, I wanted them to experience a quiet Camino, as well as the “Frances”, where the numbers increased greatly. What was of interest, was the high number of female pelegrinos, both solo and accompanied.

 

From Melide , we were bound for Arzua, and both Penny and Matt continued to express their interest in the scenery, flora and fauna, along the Way.

 

Earlier in the walk we encountered a unique stop- off, on the Primitivo, where a lady offered handmade jewellery for sale and cold drinks for a donation. She also impressed us with her excellent English, as she explained the main use to which the ubiquitous Eucalyptus trees were put….not for menthol extract, but for pulping into toilet paper . She expressed her concern at the over planting that was taking place in parts of Galicia, as Eucalyptus are fast growing trees and exploited as a quick, cash crop. She said that they were also, a potential fire hazard, as they expelled gases at their height.

 

 

She has no problems with mice, however, as a number of kittens frolicked on the lane, alongside. Arzua to come, then, and meeting a character called Mac….no not that one, he is walking  the last lap of The Via Francigena, to Rome, as I write.

“The traveler sees what he sees; the tourist sees what he has come to see”. – Gilbert K. Chesterton

What matters most, in fact, is getting from one stage to the next !

That’s by way of an explanation for my next , short Camino, beginning this W/end , from Lugo, on the Primitivo, joining the Frances at Melide. The anticipation is all the greater because I am walking this Camino in the company of my sister,Penny and my brother, Matt. Their first CAMINO ….and I hope they enjoy it. They both have physical factors to take into account and so we are hoping to get our packs transported every day, by the Correos – Spanish Post Office. Therefore , a confession that for the purpose of family solidarity, I have changed from the ensuitepilgrim, to the Turigrino, so I found Cousineau’s quotation , both apt and justifying…as if I was really bothered about self- justification, after all, I carry a bag, 24 hours a day. But, seriously, look away now if it’s too much detail, on my last Camino, the Via de la Plata, I experienced problems with either the rucksack or bum – bag straps pressing on my Stoma, causing abrasion and bleeding. That was quite disconcerting, because blood in the urine is extremely worrying. So, to Lugo we go ; the logistics are as usual complex. Penny and I take a National  Express coach down to Gatwick, leaving Birmingham coach station at midnight , arriving at the airport by 4 am. Our flight to Santiago de Compostela is at 6 am. On arrival,we should make our way to Lugo, by coach.

 

I say “should “because Spanish bus websites are like Alice in Wonderland and it is very difficult to make your way through them. The good news is that the weather forecast is good and we should be able to enjoy walking the walls , for which the city is famous, not forgetting to collect our two ” sellos” – stamps in our Pilgrim Passports. In Galicia, to obtain a Credencial on completing your Camino, you must have two stamps per day, en route.

 

Penny and Matt have been training very seriously and I hope I shall be able to keep up with them, especially as I am far more advanced in years than them!🚶🏽 Our first stage is the longest and one of only two days we shall be on the Camino Primitivo, for at Melide we join the Camino Frances, which will be akin to leaving a country lane and changing to a motorway; I anticipate it will be a good deal busier than the Primitivo, but for Penny and Matt, it will still be novel.

 

We actually walk a little beyond Retorta to Ferreira,  to the Albergue, which has an excellent reputation and had to be booked by E- Mail direct, rather than through Bookings.com., which I used for all our other accommodation along the way. Again Albergues are an essential feature of all the Caminos and though I usually avoid them, on this section of the Primitivo, it was a good opportunity for Penny and Matt to sample . A communal dinner and breakfast is included.

 

Matt is flying to S de C, from Amsterdam and we shall meet up with him in Lugo.

Now I shall make the final pack, including a ” daypack”, big enough for IPad and all items of value and especially, the confectionery that Hannah has made, for our coffee break sugar rush.
” …the rewards of the Camino are uncertain, but the effort and pain and fatigue are for sure.” So, here’s to our first, refreshing Tinto Verano.

 

 

 

 

Loved the  sunny patio. Looking after Mimi the cat and bbqs were enjoyable chores, during our week’s stay in Berkhamsted ; residing at our daughter-in-law’s sister’s house. Normally, stays in Berko are taken up with looking after Tom and Jake. But this time we had three days to explore Herts and nearby Bucks and Beds.

 

 

 

Lunch in Marlow, at the invitation of very old friends. In the evening, we had aperitifs at Porters, a trendy bar on Berko High St. Then back for a somewhat gargantuan BBQ, some of which made for lunch, the next day.

 

Tuesday was taken up with a ten mile circular walk, along the Grand Union Canal to Tring Station, then on into the quintessential , English village of Aldbury – Post Office and two pubs, not too chocolate boxy. We loved its old cottsges and duck pond. Not to mention the Victorian Stocks.

 

Returned by way of Ashridge in ever glorious sunshine, rejoining the canal at  Northchurch, which has a first class, cricket ground. Next day, by car to Ascott House, via College Lakes, with a brief stop at Aylesbury. Our second visit to the Lakes and we circled the former quarries, finishing with coffee in the Information Centre.

 

A slight detour to Aylesbury, whose unprepossessing outer areas gave way to the Old Town and a flourishing Market Square, over which presided a statue of Benjamin Disraeli. Aylesbury takes great pride in the fact it is the birthplace of the ParaOlympics, which is nicely topical.

 

Ascott House, a Rothschild residence, was in a jewel of a setting, with interestingly landscaped features. The collections in the house, were mainly made up of collections of Chinese ceramics and portraits by Gainsborough and Hogarth.

 

Thursday and Friday were spent enjoyably with Tom and Jake, including walks to the park and a train ride to Watford. The boys loved the Lego shop in Watford’ s state of the art shopping mall ( it was raining! ). And we enjoyed two very pleasant dinners with Dan & Nellie. Many thanks to Ali and Jon, having a great time in Majorca. Loved our temporary residence and the artworks.

 

Anyone in need of House-Sitters? Please get in touch, distance no object.