Welcome to the End of the World

Finesterre. It was the end of the world as they knew it. Back then. Predating Christianity, people journeyed to  Cape Fisterra on the Costa da Morte (Coast of Death) where they believed the sun died, bringing the worlds of the living and the dead closer together. Finisterre is now the traditional end of the CaminoContinue reading “Welcome to the End of the World”

Santiago de Compostela

“We made it.” My voice cracking, my eyes welling up, Olga crying in joy. “We made it.” An emotional moment that overwhelmed us. We asked a fellow pilgrim to snap a photo in that instant to capture the end of our journey so we could send it out immediately to our family. Then Olga andContinue reading “Santiago de Compostela”

Friol to Melide to Salceda

The Camino has changed. The increased number of people have made the alone times less frequent, reduced even further after Melide when the Camino Frances melds with the Camino Primitivo. The earlier collective comraderie has narrowed to one’s immediate circle. The pilgrimmage is beginning to feel more like a long tourist walk through the countryside.Continue reading “Friol to Melide to Salceda”

Lugo to Friol

Lugo is 100 km from Santiago de Compostela which makes the city a popular starting place for people desiring the certificate at the end of their Camino. The trek today, as a result, was considerably busier with those just beginning and those continuing. Lugo is a travel destination in its own right. Olga and IContinue reading “Lugo to Friol”

Tineo

The planning for the Camino Primitivo was intended to be fluid. September is still considered the high season and the Facebook posts pointed to challenges  in finding space in the albergues. We were not inclined to sleep in these dormitory accommodations, preferring rather to find private rooms, hotel or otherwise. Believing we could manage theContinue reading “Tineo”

Salas to Tineo

When the children were young, our family enjoyed playing a board game entitled, The Tortoise, the Fox, and the Hare. The premise was simple: a race to the finish line, first one crossing wins. There was a pair of six sided dice for each contestant except the numbers were different. The Hare’s dice resembled aContinue reading “Salas to Tineo”

Oviedo to Grado to Salas

The guide book estimated 7 – 9 hours. It took us 10.5. We left our bachelor apartment in Oviedo at 8:20 am We finally arrived in Grado at 6:50 pm. The authors also declare the distance to be 25.5 km. My Pacer app measured 29.1 km; and counted 49,980 steps. New league record. For OlgaContinue reading “Oviedo to Grado to Salas”

Walk the Way

We got our first taste of the Camino in Italy. Olga and I were making another pilgrimage, to the medieval town of Assisi as part of our travels this past May. The three city trip was a return to Italy, the first ten days on our own, Assisi then Florence; the last third in VeniceContinue reading “Walk the Way”

Camino Primitivo

There is no turning back now, the tickets have been purchased. AC824, seats 26A and 26C, September 2, Toronto to Madrid. A short subway jaunt the next morning to Madrid Chamartin in time to catch the 11;23 train for a 3.5 hour ride to Oviedo where our pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela begins. In truth,Continue reading “Camino Primitivo”

Baseball and Popcorn

We were delayed in leaving for our very first trip together. Not thinking, our car was left unlocked, exposed to the shenanigans typical of weddings at the time; confetti jammed into the air vents, Vaseline smeared on the steering wheel, the door handles, the gas tank. It all had to be cleaned before we couldContinue reading “Baseball and Popcorn”