Finally: Arrival in Santiago de Compostela...

That was it!

A display of joy, achievement...

Not the kind of quiet joy, pain and doubt that was present during the last weeks.

The city is loud, hectic and crowded, too much to handle right away...

Strangers become friends

Exhausted and hungry, not really thrilled about the outlook that this was it. Antonio takes off the next day by plane to Sevilla. We eat, say good bye and I set off to Negreira, a long day:

Pedronzo - Santiago - Negreira.

I find a modern hostal, just opened a few weeks ago. The showers are phenomenal. After leaving Santiago, I was alone on the trail, finishing in peace.

No words necessary...

After returning from Muxia, I gave Santiago a second look. I was not the only one who was reflective.

News from the Camino Primitivo

Finally, sunshine! Crossed the mountains from Oviedo, Escamplero, Bodenaya, Borres, Berducedo, into Grandas des Salimas. Most hamlets may not show up on Google Map. Farm houses, a bar, and an auberge, that´s mostly it. The trail was mostly under water, but after the first step into a deep puddle, what´s there to loose. Looks like there are 10 to 20 pilgrims on their way between stages, although some seem to walk only in good weather. Met one guy who said there are 600 pilgrims on the Camino Frances, no complaints.

Made it into the Spanish Newspaper, well more as the background for a special auberge in Bodenaya.

Less than 200 km to Santiago, the excitement is building...

News from El Camino del Norte

Well, this is a different camino! I have been walking by myself most of the time, was the only guest in some of the auberges, walked in snow, rain, and on the beach!

It is quite comforting to walk without being rushed. The North Coast is amazing. The mountains come very close to the sea. It goes up and down. And it is VERY GREEN here. I guess that´s what rain does.



I am now on the Camino Primitivo, just outside Oviedo. There is some hill climbing ahead!

Training for the Camino

If all goes well, I may be on my way to Santiago de Compostela in about a week.

Will the skies over Europe be clear? Will it rain?
Will I find my way?
Will it be crowded, since it is a Holy Year?

El Camino goes Hollywood!

or is it the other way around - "Hollywood goes El Camino"?

Filmed on location on the camino in France and Spain...

The Way

or view this free documentary online:

In Between" by Sturla Pilskog.

Pearly...

Provided wood is treated the right way, it can weather many storms. This images was taken at the San Miguel mission near Paso Robles after a good early winter storm in December 2009. For the gizmo-heads, the picture was taken with an iPhone, pretty decent, right?

Not sure how I feel today, wishing stuff would pearl off like raindrops, maybe?

... and here comes the English version!

El Camino De Santiago

a modern day pilgrimage

By Thomas Hartmann

Book Preview

Inside this book you will find on 40 pages impressions from the Camino de Santiago, an ancient path, which attracts hundreds of thousands pilgrims every year. The author captures the spirit of the Camino in 99 images.

Hiking over 500 miles from the Pyrenées to Santiago de Compostela was not only a physically demanding, but also a spiritually rewarding experience. Everybody's journey on this trail will be different, but we also will bring back some similar memories of the endless meseta, the unselfish hospitaleros, and not the least our tired legs...

Enjoy.