Day 35
Santiago de Compostella- Negreira
22km
After 3 nights in the city, my journey continues... tough doing another 6am morning. new gang of friends different from the first part of the camino. Flashed by a random Spaniard in the woods... good meal.



Day 36
Negreira - Olveiro
30 km
My first long day in a while. So many people on the camino from the festival it was a race to get in line for the Albergue. We got there at 12:30... great meal... Albergue didnt open until 3:30. It rained and was butt cold.

Day 37
Olveiro - Muxia
33km

To avoid the big crowd to Finisterre, I headed along the northern route to Muxia... nice quiet empty hostel... my first glimpse at the atlantic and a swim in the icy water.


Day 38
Muxia - Finisterre
33-35km
A complicated day... but well worth it. The trail between Muxia and Finisterre was poorly marked... we ended up walking back and forth several times before finding the right route...


Finally made it:



Km 0:

We reached Finisterre proper in the afternoon, and did the traditional swim. Went to the lighthouse at the "edge of the earth" to watch the cloudy sunsent. I burned my socks.

I took my first transit ride today and am now back in cloudy Santiago. The buzz of the festival has died down. I leave for Bilbao early tomorrow to visit a friend for a few days

Day 34

The fireworks were perhaps the best I´ve seen in my life... I´ve never seen anyone light fireworks of a church before... quite spectacular with amazing music.

The city is alive with music, and people. The church was packed out today for the arrival of the Patron. They did the big swingy incense thing. I stood near a pillar as I only arrived an hour early and wasnt able to get a seat. Today I made a vow once again to never be a mean little old lady with pointy elbows.

After church, a large separatist group formed in one of the plazas to sing and dance which then led to a parade through the streets with bagpipes, flutes, castanets and songs in Gallego.

I´ve eaten enough octopus to last a lifetime

Day 31
Arzua - Monte de Gozo
36 km

Day 32
Monte de Gozo - Santiago de Compostella
4km

This was a great day. I picked up my compostella, did the hug, looked at the casket and had a great meal. The city is alive with people. My travel buddy went on to Finisterre because of time constrictions, and I stayed here for the big party on the 25th.

Day 33
Had an amazing sleep in and got up out of bed at 9am... so much better than the 5am wakeup that Im used to. My body seems to be slowly adjusting. The city is slowly filling full of people that were behind me that I met along the way. Tonight Im going to try for a meal at the Mirador. I´ve booked a flight for Bilbao after I get to Finisterre. I´ve decided to go the extra long route to Muxia before heading to Finisterre.

Day 28 Samos - Portomarin
29km

Bumped into some old friends this day

Day 29 Portomarin - Casanova
30 km

Day 30 Casanova - Arzua
24.5km

Only 40 km to go to Santiago and then another 90 to Finisterre (aka the end of the earth). Im still trying to decide whether to stay for a few extra days in Santiago for the big festival on the 25th... the king will be there and it should be a fun time.

Day 22
Villar de Mazarife- Astorga
30km

Day 23
Astorga-Rabanal
21km

Day 24
Rabanal - Ponferrada
35km

Day 25
Ponferrada- Villafranca del Bierzo
25.5km

Day 26
Villafranca del Bierzo - O Cebreiro
28km

Day 27
O Cebreiro - Samos
33km

Just a couple of days left to Santiago. The trail is now filled with spaniards and the overwhelmingly German population of the trail that plagued my Spanish has now slowed to a trickle with the exception of my flea-bitten, overly-bandaged travel companion. The number of people on the trail is now over the top.

Everyone gets up at 5am , leaves at 6am and races to the next hostel. If I make it to Portomarin tomorrow I only have 93km to Santiago:)

Day 20 Puente de Vilarente - Leon
13km
Will post photos soon.

My travel buddy has flees.

Leon was beautiful for the cathedral, the old church that has painting dated back to 800AD that have never been redone and look phenomenal and the Gaudi building.

The food was not so stellar... and pidgeons in the main street spooked all of the tourists out.

Went to an evening vesper service.... very peaceful... and a ton of pilgrims began their trip from leon...

Day 21 Leon - Villar de Mazarife
22 km

Took the road less travelled and have begun to start doing the siesta thing. More Spanish speaking pilgrims on the trail now... and I met my 2 first Anglophone Canadians today...:) Am in a quiet sleepy town with friendly people. Paella is on the menu tonight:)

Long day tomorrow.

Day 18 Terradillos de los Templarios - Calzadillas de los Hermanillos

Today was an interesting day as I waved goodbye to 2 of my travel buddies before they went home only to bump into them later in the day along with two other people that I hadn´t seen in over 2 weeks. Ended up in a quiet village engulfed in sparrows.

This place looks like Saskachewan

Day 19 Calzadillas de los Hermanillos - Puente de Villarente
31.5km

12 km to get to Leon tomorrow... I love the Spanish Postal system... I sent stuff to myself from Pamplona and am arriving a day late. I phoned to ask them if it was ok for them to hold it and they said no problem... and then wished me a buen camino....

It´s been several days since my last entery... With the several German companions that I´ve been traveling with... we made our way out of the foothills of the Pyrenes and into the wine region of la Rioja. AMAZING. Hills turned into vineyards as the sun beat down on us. I traded in my shoes for a pair of sandals and mannaged to heel my blisters over the last several days.

We also made our way into the local paper as "Spanish Football Fans"

Day 9 Logrono- Najera 30km

Day 10 Najera- Santo Domingo 21km

"Mr Blister"... on a more holy note.. one of my travel buddies has mannaged to clock 7 blisters on one foot at the same time.

Day 11 Santo Domingo- Belorado 23 km

Day 12 Belorado - San Juan de Ortega 24 km


Deep fried blood sausage.... mmmmmmmmmm


Day 13 km San Juan - Burgos

Here I managed to sneak my way into the last spot in the Albergue... They appear to be getting fuller the closer we get to Santiago... my friend slept on the floor... got to pick up an air mattress


Day 14 Burgos
I took a day of in Burgos to see the city and the amazing cathedral...

Day 15 Burgos- Itero de la Vega 50.5 km
My most walked day do far... alone... I caught up with my travel buddies.... and started to get a nasty blister... After Burgos, the landscape changed again from hills to the flat shade-barren land of the meseta... luckily I had clouds.

Day 16 Itero de la Vega - Carrion de los Condes 33.5 km
The end of this day was brutal. Heat stroke...flu


Day 17 Carrion de los Condes- Terradillos de los Templarios 26.5

We´re over half way there!!! Only 389km left!!!