Prague Oct 9

Going home.  We got up at 5 am and caught the 7:10 am Austrian Airlines plane to Frankfurt where we changed to a Condor flight to Toronto.  The Austrian flight was pretty much what I expected and the Condor flight was an unknown to me.  For a variety of reasons, I thought that it could be a bit limited and was prepared for a less than optimum ride to Toronto.  The fact that they boarded us from the dingiest downstairs area of the Frankfurt airport suggested cost cutting, which was further supported by their bussing to the aircraft so that we could walk across the tarmac and up some stairs into the aeroplane. Then I got a pleasant surprise.  The seating was the best that we have seen in economy class as the seats were wider and had more legroom than the competition.  This resulted in a very nice flight to Toronto.  Clearing customs, getting our luggage and shuttle to our car was simple and without problems.  Before leaving, I had downloaded a coupon from Parkn'Fly that cut our one month parking rate from $375 to $100.  We stopped in Scarborough to visit Auntie Eiko and were home by about 8 pm.
This is the last entry for this trip.

Last day in Vienna. After checking out of our hotel we continued our walk around Old Vienna. On the way we stopped at a subway station to buy transportation to and from the airport; we are staying there tonight because we have an early flight on  Sunday morning. We found the best option for the three trips between the city and the airport. We got senior day passes that are valid on the full Vienna and area trains, trams and subway for  €6.80 each. Around noon we went to the airport and checked in at Austrian Airlines and then the hotel. After a shower and a nap we returned to the city for dinner and a ballet at the Vienna Opera House. The dancers displayed their skill and athletic ability as expected.  The star of the show was the building itself.  Susie is in green waving from our loge seats.  We had the front two with a wide railing to lean on during the performance; the seats were as good as it gets.

Prague Oct 8

Last day in Vienna. After checking out of our hotel we continued our walk around Old Vienna. On the way we stopped at a subway station to buy transportation to and from the airport; we are staying there tonight because we have an early flight on  Sunday morning. We found the best option for the three trips between the city and the airport. We got senior day passes that are valid on the full Vienna and area trains, trams and subway for  €6.80 each. Around noon we went to the airport and checked in at Austrian Airlines and then the hotel. After a shower and a nap we returned to the city for dinner and a ballet at the Vienna Opera House. The dancers displayed their skill and athletic ability as expected.  The star of the show was the building itself.  Susie is in green waving from our loge seats.  We had the front two with a wide railing to lean on during the performance; the seats were as good as it gets.

Prague Oct 7

Today was the day to relax in Vienna. We st by att a training session of the Lippizan stallions.  Apparently it takes 6 to 8 years of training before they are used in a regular performance.  During this time their coats change from dark grey to white.  After that we spent time just looking at the grand old buildings and parks.

Prague Oct 6

Last day of walking.  I don't know whether to be happy or sad about the last day of walking. It's nice to know that I don't have to book any more hotels but it's a bit sad to know that our trekking is done.  Nevertheless today was a good day for walking through the farm land and examining all the crops.  We saw a lot of sugar beets in the ground, piled up at the train yard and traveling in train cars. There were also lots of sunflower, corn and pumpkins.  We walked into Stockerau around 2pm and 4 minutes after entire the  train station we were boarded and on the way to Vienna.  Later we walked into old Vienna which gave us a chance to acquaint ourselves with the city and have a good meal at restaurant that was highly recommended on Trip Advisor.

Prague Oct 5

Austria now.  We were a bit surprised to learn that today would quite cool with the high in a single digit. Thus it was the first day that I had my jacket off for only an hour or so.  We were not able to get a trail map for the leg into Vienna so we had to do with our road map and Google map. This worked pretty well although we ended up walking through some vineyards  in order to get to a marked road. The remarkable views today were of much flatter terrain,  large vineyards, sugar beets, corn and walnuts on the roads.  Sometimes we would just step on a walnut to crack the shell then pick out the nut meat. Tonight we are in a guest house attached to a riding stable.

Prague Oct 4

Last day in Czechia.  We woke  up to the sound of rain Hitting our hotel window.  By the time we got on the road the rain had slower considerably making walking quite pleasant. Nevertheless we appreciated getting to the Austrian border where we got a very good hotel. In the evening we had a nice sauna. What we haven't been able to get yet is information on the walking route into Vienna.  It looks like we'll have to wing it.  Much to our surprise the town next to the Austrian border is a destination shopping place.  As such it is full of outlet stores and a huge menagerie of Asian stall. For better or for worse we can't carry more so we couldn't buy anything.

Prague Oct 3

Stymied today.  We couldn't find any accommodations one day's walk from Slavonice so we had to bite the bullet and take a bus far enough to continue walking towards Vienna.  This resulted in a decision to go to Znojmo.  When we compared the on line information with the schedule posted at the bus stop, there was a discrepancy.  For the information office straightened things out for us.  We had to take 3 different buses from 2 different bus lines.  It was an experience.  Tomorrow we will either stay just inside Czechia or walk into Austria.

Prague Oct 2

Today was su to be a rainy day so we start ed with our umbrellas in hand. The forecast was right as it spit on us periodically all day. The benefit of a day like this is not having to wear a hat and not sweating. The highlight of the day was seeing remnants of World War Il. We visited a bunker and were able to go inside.  Subsequently we over a dozen more.  We also saw border fencing with its abundance of barbed wire.  We checked into our hotel early with the intention of missing the rain that was predicted to arrive this evening.

Another thing that we saw today was a free standing beer machine

Prague Oct 1

Austrian border.  Today was pretty uneventful after yesterday.  After leaving the penzion we went to a bookstore and acquired a map of Austria.  The walk today was really pleasant as the trails took us through well forested areas.  I was surprised that we didn't see more apples by the roads or trails today. Most interesting were the Czech people. A number of them asked about us and what we were doing. When we arrived in Nova Bystrice we asked for our penzion and a fellow from Prague took us to the shop that managed it.  As the room was not ready we went for dinner.  When we were eating the same fellow found us and told us that his penzion could take us if we wanted. He even offered to drive into town and get us. The people here have been so helpful.

In the afternoon our path took us 200m from the Austrian border so we made a side trip into Austria. It required us to cross a stream on somewhat precarious stones. Now we have to decide where to cross into Austria in order to make our way into Vienna. We already have tickets for the balle in the family opera house.

Prague Sep 30

This was a most interesting and unusual day. We started by following red trail makers and ended up crossing fences and a creek to access a road. After that we gave up on the markers and followed maps and instincts to get through Tabor. All day we saw lots of apples on the ground and hanging on trees by the roads and marked paths. Susie ate a lot.
By the early afternoon we arrived in Plana so we continued on to Kosice where I suggested that we stay even though it was only 2:30. Nevertheless we decided to try for accommodation in Brandin only to find that the lone farm hostel was full. Do we go back to Kosice or try something ahead.  We thumbed a ride into Tucapy and were thumbing to the closest lateral town when a fellow who lived right there offered to drive us onward.  He helped us book a penzion and then drove us there. He turned a developing disaster into a fortunate leap forward.

Prague Sep 29

After a long day yesterday, we planned a shorter walk today.  We thought that Sedlcany to Borotin might be okay. We walked to Sedlec Prcice, about 17km before noon, had a bite to eat there and continued to Borotin. We got there about 3:30 and tried to check into a penzion there only to find that they were closed until 5pm. So we continued on to Chotoviny where there is a big hotel.  We arrived around 5:30 which resulted in another long day about 36 km. Perhaps we can make tomorrow a short day.  Our walk today featured a mix of roads and trails but heavier to roads.  The Czech countryside is really nice.

Prague Sep 28

Today we got to see a lot of rural Czechia as we select two walking paths that avoided roads as much as possible.  The terrain was rolling and hilly with farms, forests and a few smart settlements on the path .  The only drawback was the length of the walk as both of us were tired  by the time we walked  to Sedlcany. Nevertheless we were rejuvenated after a shower and some food. At dinner tonight we saw why everyone seems to be drinking regular beer; it's the most inexpensive drink at about  $1.50 for half a litre. 

Prague Sep 27

We arrived in Prague at 6:38 am after a so-so sleep and coffee on the train.  Then we took the subway and bus to Pruhonice. There we found the Prague to Vienna Ğreenway and started walking. Initially we were on streets then on a dedicated bicycle and pedestrian path that seemed promising. Then we found ourselves on roads that were  too busy.  Then we left the greenway for other routes and found a nice path over a hill and to some ruins at Zboreny Kostelec. Tonight we staying in Tynec.

Prague Sep 26

Today we hiked up Mengusovska Valley and then Koprovsky peak; it was a tremendous hike with lots of view s. On our way we stopped at the Symbolic Cemetery of the Tatra Mountains. After the day of hike we went back to the hotel where we were invited to have a shower before checking out .  Lucy has been very generous. We then caught the local train to Poprad for dinner and to catch the night train to Prague. We got a sleeper with 2 bunk beds .

Prague Sep 25

This is almost the end of our hiking in the Tatra Mountains. Today we went up Mlynicka dolina and back down Furkotsa dolina.  Both valleys are beautiful and are separated by a rugged sharp ridge. The pass between the two valleys required us to pull ourselves up with chains to reach the ridge which was just big enough to accommodate 4 of us. Then we used another set of chains to help us start down the other side.

Tonight we had dinner at the hotel where we were served some typical Slovak dishes. It was really tasty and gave us ideas for cooking at home.

Prague Sep 24

This was the day that we hiked up Rysy which is on the Polish border.  Almost at summit there is a chalet and all the food etc is packed in by men. The loads at 76 kg are smaller than those in  Nepal but the trails are much more challenging making up for any difference in weight.  We met 4 American students near the summit and walked out a good way with them. They were studying for a semester in Budapest and were delight to talk with.  At Popradske Pleso we made a quick tour around the lake and ended up being invited for drinks by a couple of Slovak men.  We must have spent 2 hours learning about Slovakia and its people.  We also met one of their mothers and two other family members.  When we got to our pensione the hostess had the sauna ready for a pre-dinner heating. Dinner was a large pork knuckle for 2, just a kilogram albeit including the bone.  This was a most interesting day indeed.

Prague Sep 23

This is our first day of hiking from Strbske Pleso.  As the weather was good we opted to hike up Krivan which is the iconic mountain of Slovakia. With some snow on the path in the morning, it was tricky in many places.  There was a spot below the access ridge and another below the peak that required scrambling. It wasn't a piece of cake.  Nevertheless we made it along with about a 100 others.

Prague Sep 22

Today we moved from Hotel Smokovec to Strbske Pleso by hiking up to a chalet to the northwest then continuing further west and further upward. The forecast called for sun and no precipitation but we got hail and wind, and limited views. The hike took us up gradually  to over 1900m;  then we dropped down to Popradske Lake some 29 switchbacks and more than 500 metres lower. In Strbske Pleso we went directly to our hotel where we had a pleasant surprise.  The hostess said that the room booked was way more than we needed and changed us to another which saved us a lot.  The room was very nice and the hotel had many little extras.

Prague Sep 21

Today we planned a loop hike up a valley east of the one we hiked up yesterday and back down yesterday's valley.  Everything was going well, albeit rainy, until we started up the headwall. It got colder, wetter and windier. Finally the rocks on the trail were collecting ice so we turned back. This seemed not to bother over 100 others who we met on the way out.  Our decision was justified later when we saw that the peaks stayed shrouded in clouds all day; later we saw that the peaks were covered in snow.
Since our hike was shorter, we went to Poprad to see how non-tourist area works. It looked a lot like other towns anywhere especially in mall.

Prague Sep 20

Today we planned a loop hike up one alpine valley, then over a ridge and back down the adjacent valley.  About 4 hours out we lost the trail makers just about the place on our map that showed a change in the path to an ambiguous straight purple line.  So we followed a set of cairns  to the top of a ridge and nowhere else to go.  We started back and just where we had lost markers we saw hikers high above and then we found the markers. When we scrambled to the top of the ridge, we found ourselves standing on little more than a knife edge.  The way down the other side was a chimney that could only be used with its anchor chains and metal rungs set into the rock.  With trepidation, Susie grabbed the chains and rungs and made her way down.  It was nerve wracking as one slip could have resulted in an injury or worse.  As it turned out, we made it fine then completed a 10-hour hike. This is some of the best hiking that we have ever done.  Our maximum altitude today was about 2200 m.

Prague Sep 19

First day of hiking.  After sitting for a week  my body needs a little physical work.  So we started the day with breakfast in our hotel and started hiking a little after 8 am. The valley was socked in making us wonder if we would get any views today.  We lucked out as the day turned out to be perfect. We managed to reach the top of Mt Slavkovski 2452 m in 3h30m in partial sunshine.  The time given on the map was  5h15m so now we are calibrated.  The trail got above the trees quite quickly and we walked on rocks 3/4 of the time.  Now that we know a bit about the area, we decided to stay here in Stary Smokovec for 4 nights and then go to Strbske Pleso for 4 nights.

Prague Sep 18

Leaving Prague .
After organizing our tickets last night, we were able to have a nice relaxing breakfast before taking the tram to the train station. The Park Inn hotel has been excellent. The location, room, service and breakfast were great. Public transportation has been great for us.  It was clean, fast and reliable. Not to be economical; our train fare from Prague to Poprad, Slovakia was about  $18 each.  We were on 2 trains for over 7 hours and cover some 600 km.  From Poprad we tools a local commuter train to Stary Smokovec and booked into a hotel. That's when I noticed that I had lost my 220 volt adapter and started to worry about not having able to post to our blog.  After talking to the hotel staff I learners that there were no adapters in town to buy or borrow. Later the lights went on.  The TV had a USB port and it could be connected to the phone and Susie's Garmin. 

Prague Sep 17

Last day of a great meeting.  As tired as people are they are still actively participating in the sessions. The session that I chaired even had a bit of heat.  My talk was well received. After getting back to the hotel we got information about the train to the Tatra Mountains on Sunday. We rode the tram to the train to where we nought our train tickets. Then it time to arrange our belongings in preparation for leaving on Sunday. My load got lighter by jettisoning a pair of old runners.

Prague Sep 16

Heme oxygenase meeting day 3.  This is a very good meeting and they worked us hard. It is humbling to be reminded of how much I don't know.  This evening we went directly from the meeting to the group dinner.  As expected they had a ton of tasty food but they served wine and the beer drinkers had to ask for beer.  I assumed that they would have started with beer because they are so proud their world leading annual consumption.
We walked back from the dinner because it was such a beautiful evening.  The walk to our destination was only about 15 minutes longer than the bus ride going there.

Prague Sep 15

Full day of research meetings from 8 am to 7:15 pm.  That's a long day.  Susie spent the day sightseeing.  She went to Wenceslas Square only to find the star attraction covered in scaffolding.

Prague Sep 14

First day of Kanji's meeting although the morning was free.   We walked up to the little Eiffel Tower and got some great views of the city.  We then found maps that describe the trail to Vienna and Bratislava.  There was a welcoming reception at which we were treated to a concert of classical music by a pentet.  They were amazing especially the lead violinist;  she could make the violin do anything including chirp like a bird.

Prague Sep 13

Today we took a guided tour of Prague. Unlike many other guided tours we walked around other than when we were on the boat ride.  It was a pretty good tour with the most exciting part being losing a memorable near the end. The city was crawling with tourists even though this is supposed to be the shoulder season.  The Charles Bridge shown here was a pedestrian traffic jam. 

Prague Sep 12

The AC Rouge flight from Toronto was fine although I didn't get much sleep in front of 2 vocal boys.  Our luggage was out by the time we cleared customs.  We decided to take public transport to the hotel.  At the information desk they told us that all we had to do was show our passports if asked and we could ride for free because of our age.  We took the bus to the metro then rode the metro down town.  As we came up to street level a young man with perfect English helped us find the right tram. Then another man with his son helped us getting off right at our hotel.  We checked in washed up and rested, and then became real tourists.  We have been across the Charles Bridge.  Their bread and beer are excellent; their bread impressed us more than the beer.

Camino Aftermath Day 5

Today was our last full day in Espana.  While we are eagerly looking forward to going home, we are leaving a bit of our hearts in Spain. Today we spent more time in Retiro Park and then went to the Botanical Gardens when they opened at 10 am.  The gardens were as advertised and resulted in information  overload after an hour and a half.  With our accommodation so conveniently located, we were able go back for a quick rest whenever we wanted and did so after the Gardens. Later we did some shopping for souvenirs, visited the royal palace and ate.  My choice was as Spanish as possible, paella with sangria. This evening we went back to the Prado to see more paintings and sculptures;  in particular we went to see Camillo Torregiani's veiled Isabel II again.

Camino Aftermath Day 4

Yesterday we had a visit to the Prado Museum.  We suffered from information overload with all the old Masters etc.  Nevertheless both of us were overwhelmed by a sculpture by Camillo Torregaiani called Queen’s Face Veiled.  In it there is a veil over the face which is so realistic that we felt that we could see through it.  We plan to go back and see it again tomorrow.  Today we went to Ritiro  Park and the Reina  Sofia Museum. It houses the Picasso called Guernika.  Madrid is a big bustling city with current daytime highs in the middle 30s- much different from the temperatures that we experienced on the Caminos.

Camino Aftermath Day 3

Today we went to Madrid on the 10:30 train.  On the way to the station we just had visit our favorite bridge and take more pictures.  I'll try to attach a couple here.

The train ride started out much like the trip out of Santiago de Compostela with many tunnels and bridges to handle the many hills and valleys. Then it became flatter and straighter so the engineer opened it up to 248 km/h. As we approached Madrid we went through a tunnel that we were told later to be 50 km long.  After arriving in Madrid we walked to our hotel which took us an hour and a half. Then we went to the Prado Museum before supper. 

Camino Aftermath Day 2

Our train to Ourense didn't leave until 9:39 am so we took a last walk through the old city before heading for the train.  The train ride was through countryside similar to what we had been walking through for the last month.  It was hills and valleys covered with all sorts of vegetation including broom.  What really caught our attention was the number of tunnels and bridges. It seemed like we were either in a tunnel or on a bridge the whole way.  Of course that couldn't have been so but we went through at least 2 dozen tunnels some of which were quite long.  Often we would emerge from a tunnel and go on to a long bridge. 

While walking to our hotel,  we crossed a really interesting bridge.  It was cable stayed and had a pedestrian track that started at car level,  then it dropped down a couple of metres, then it rose over the car lanes some 120 stairs in a curve before plunging down the other side symmetrically. The entire curved overpass was symmetrically repeated around the second bridge tower.

After dropping our packs at the hotel we set out in search of the thermal baths.  They turned out to be almost 5 km away but we needed the walk.  The first pool that we visited was just the right temperature.  While we were enjoying a nice soaking, we received a pleasant surprise.  About 10 school kids gathered around and asked us all sorts of questions.  They wanted to know where we were from,  our names, what we were doing and of course did we like Galecia.  Just like the group that we met a few days ago,  they were the highlight of the day.

Later we walked to a hot spring just a few blocks from our hotel.  The water there was almost steaming. Certainly you couldn't keep your hands directly in the water as it emerged from the pipe. In order to allow people to immerse themselves, they would have to add some cool water. 

Camino Aftermath

Well our walking is all behind us now and it's time to give our bodies a rest.  After a good night's sleep,  we went to the cathedral to attend the English mass at 9 am.  Wouldn't you know it; it was cancelled for this Sunday because the priest was away.  After looking around a bit, we had a nice café con leche and leche caliente. We walked down to the train station and booked tickets to Ourense tomorrow and Madrid the next day.

In the afternoon we walked around the old city shopping for a few souvenirs,  then had our lupper, lunch/supper near our hotel.  We are enjoying a slow day and are spending time just lying around in the hotel room. 

Yesterday, we learn that the Pope had declared this to be a special year which meant that the Porto Negra was opened.  Then when you walk through it, all your sins are cleansed.  We walked through it twice.

Camino Ingles Day 4

This is it.  The last day of Camino walking.   The walk today was quite easy in that there were relatively few hills and they weren't difficult.  As a result we walked to Santiago de Compostela almost 1.5 hours earlier than we expected.  The first order of the day was to get our Compostela certificates.  This required us to stand in line for 90 minutes but that was necessary.  After that we checked into our hotel, had supper, attended a mass, picked up a few groceries and got ready for bed. It was a very satisfying day!

Camino Ingles Day 3

According to the guidebooks, today's walk from Betanzos to Bruma was supposed to be very tough and long because of the elevation gain.  So we left early to ensure that we would make it and to avoid some of the heat.  By 2 pm we were in Bruma, so we decided to go another 7 km to Buscas.  This has several advantages including a private room, food availability and a shortened walk into Santiago de Compostela tomorrow.  We walked into the rural hostal Donna  Maria; it is really nice.  We are looking forward to supper but we have to wait until 8:30 pm.

The weather today was marvelous with sun and a high in the low 20s C.  We were in the country after leaving Betanzos so the scenery was great. The only drawback was a paucity of places to stop for my morning coffee.  Fortunately at 10:00 we came upon a new restaurant/bar that wasn't in the guidebook. So I got my caffeine allotment about an hour sooner than expected.

Camino Ingles Day 2a

Relaxing near our pensione

Camino Ingles Day 2

This was one of our shortest days as we walked just 19.5 km to Betanzos. It was warmer than we have experienced since the first week of May. It was 23 C in the afternoon, which was tough on our USA buddies because they were on the Camino until 5:30.  We were in town by 1:30 and avoided most of the heat.  The pensione we got by checking in at the Chocolatier ice cream store.  It's very nice and also inexpensive.   We have lots of space, clothes lines and access to a kitchen. One of the body washes had a chocolate aroma.

Our walk was very pleasant with the Camino taking us up and down short hills and around and around village streets.  Sometimes we thought they had taken us in a complete circle.

Camino Ingles Day 1

Today was a very different day. Yes we got up and walked in some of the sunniest weather we've had in Spain.  What made our day was a bunch of young kids; they were a group of about forty 10-11 year olds on a school field trip.  About noon we were walking at the edge of  a town when we saw some people headed for the Camino.   My first thought was that I hope they are not a large pilgrim group who will clutter the Camino.  Soon after we saw that they were a large group of young people;  then they started waving so we waved back.  We then merged with them as they joined the Camino.  They were a delightful group, so enthusiastic about meeting us.  They wanted to know what we were doing, when did we start, where did we start from, where were we from, what were our names, etc.  We got some names and learned that one boy had been born in Montreal.

We also met a group of 4 Americans who ended up in the same hotel as us. We had a nice chat with them over a glass of wine. They are all new to this kind of walking so we were able to share whatever knowledge that we had.

After we checked into our accommodation, we walked to see the old church, San Miguel de Breamo which was a 7 km round trip without packs.  It was up at the top of a small mountain. When we neared the top, a local man stopped his van to talk to us and explain exactly where we were.  After we walked back into town,  we met him again at an intersection which was quite a coincidence because of the layout of the town.  He recognized us and stopped to say that it was nice that we took the side trip.  He introduced himself s Manuel and said he was born in this town. It was so nice that someone would take the time to make us feel welcome. 

Camino 2016 Day 30

After completing our trek from Irun to Santiago de Compostela, today was a rest  and travel day. We have decided to do another Camino from Ferrol; this is called the Camino Ingles. So we caught a bus and sat for an hour and a half out to Ferrol. Everything was going well until we encountered a glitch while trying to acquire our new credentiales in Ferrol.  We arrived at the tourist kiosk as described in the guidebook just after 2 pm and had to wait until they returned from siesta at 4 pm.  Unfortunately no one arrived at 4 and eventually a local told us that the tourist kiosk was closed even though the sign indicated open hours. So we walked to the alternative office where we were told that as of April 1 only the cathedral was selling credentiales and their hours were 6:30 - 8:30 pm.  After we told the clerk how long we had waited already she made a few calls and found us some at a major hotel. By the time we walked to our hotel and checked in it was 6:30 pm.  Nevertheless there is always a silver lining if you look for it.  Ours was a pedestrian overpass; it was a cable stayed structure in the shape of an S.  It was really a work of art.

Camino 2016 Day 29

What  a great start to the day.  We had a nice breakfast at the pensione and hit the Camino in dry weather. The terrain was relatively flat so we covered more ground than we had in the mountains. By the time we got to Pedrouzo, we were running on empty so we stopped at a bar for hamburgers and drinks. The hamburgers weren't great but somehow they tasted really good. As we left town and were passing another bar we heard a shout from our Swedish friends. Later we saw our Alaskan colleagues and also a couple from Brazil. They were all a lot of fun to walk with. By mid-afternoon we had decided to push through to Santiago de Compostela and got to a hotel near the bus station between 4 and 5.  We then cleaned up and walked into the cathedral area.  After a nice dinner we got back to our hotel to enjoy some of the perks it offers such as hot beverages in the breakfast area.

Camino 2016 Day 28

After spending last night in the new municipal albergue, we set out for Arzua in classical Galecian weather; that is to say that it was giving us liquid sunshine.  About 2 km out, I realized that I had left  hiking pole at the albergue.  After going back to retrieve it we made our way into Melide by about 11 am.  We made a bee line for Ezekiel Pulperia, which we had been told about 4 nights ago.  Much to the surprise and delight, Susie tried it and liked it.  That made my day.  Traffic on the path was much heavily after Melide because that is where the Camino Primitivo and Camino Frances meet.  Arzua, where we stopped tonight is where the Camino del Norte joins in.

Camino 2016 Day 27

On leaving Lugo we had rain immediately and it rained all day with a few periods of dryness interspersed.  On arrival in As Siexes we checked into the albergue, which is new and really nice.  Now we are about to have supper at the only restaurant in the village.

Camino 2016 Day 26

Today we walked into Lugo, which is a city as opposed to the towns that we have been through recently.  The day was pretty easy in spite of it being 30 km to cover.  Everything was great  until we got to our hotel room, which I thought was a 3 star hotel at a great price. It is very basic; it' s saving grace is its location right on the Camino Primitivo.  Lugo itself is very interesting because it still has its city walls from centuries ago.  And of course it has a wonderful cathedral with several ornate chapels.

Camino 2016 Day 25

Yesterday in Fonsagrada was a little weird because the town looks big but had only 2 pensiones an 2 albergues.  On our walk out this morning we saw a 4 star hotel that had been closed.  This is a bit of a ghost town. Our next stop is Cardavo Baleira so we got the albergue owner to call ahead and book a room for us and the Swedish couple in a pensione.  Today's walk was unusual in that there was fog in the valleys below us and sun above.  It was cool but dry; In Galecia we will take that over the rain for which it is famous.  We hiked up one ridge and got right next to the wind turbines then descended into the next valley and gradually worked our way over a lower ridge.  All day we were close to wind turbines.  About mid-morning we stopped for coffee with a bunch of people that we met on the Camino. It would be interesting to know what portion of Spain's electricity comes from wind and solar sources.  Tomorrow we will hit the city of Lugo.

Camino 2016 Day 24

Galicia here we come.  Today we leave Asturias and enter Galecia. It was a nice walk, which took us up on a ridge with  line of wind turbines.  It kept threatening to rain all day but only sprinkled on us a few times. The valleys were interesting because they had low lying clouds, which made them look as if they had fires burning.  Fonsagrada is full in the pensiones, so we are in the Albergue Cantabrica.  It is very nice and well equipped.  Dinner tonight was special because it featured pulpo aka octopus. Actually I started with a nice soup, then had pulpo followed by beef and finished with grandmother's cake.  Very nice; it incuded both red and white wine since there were 3 of us to start and a 4th joined us.

Camino 2016 Day 23

After a good night's sleep we set off in the direction of Grandas de Salime.  The guidebook led us to believe that we would be walking downhill immediately and that could be hard on the knees.  In fact we had to climb some and the roll up and down for quite a way before our descent occured.  We saw this deep valley, with reservior lake and electrical generation station.  Today we saw many other peregrinos that we recognized from the last few days. The hotel in Grandas de Salime wasn't available so we are in the Albergue tonight.

Camino 2016 Day 22

Today we had perfect weather to walk the highest segment of the Camino Primitivo. It was quite cool as we started; Susie wore gloves and my hands were cool.  A cool day is perfect for this segment because there was a 16.5 km part without any source of clean drinking water.  The temperature kept our sweating to a minimum and ensured that we needed a small amount of water. We climbed to over 1100 metres, and dropped down about 600 metres.  We thought that the descent would be tough on the knees but the steep part was short so it was fine.  The views up top were fantastic as we stayed above tree line for about four hours.  An Italian fellow that we spoke with here in Barducedo said that it was the best day of hiking in his life.  A bonus was finding a pension in Barducedo that wasn't mentioned in our guidebook.

Camino 2016 Day 21

Last night a weather front came through La Espina bringing rain overnight and cool air this morning.  In fact it was 9C this morning and continued to be cool all day.  In fact it was one of those days where we were changing continuously- jacket on jacket off umbrella up umbrella down.  We gained a bit of altitude but not a lot today.  About 2 pm we rolled into Campiello and checked into Casa Herminia where we got a really nice room with a nice shower, dinner and breakfast.  Our dinner was incredible, starting with soup, followed by vegetable stew and then chicken and trout entrées. Then they brought dessert.  We couldn't eat all that they brought.  Of course there was the standard bottle of wine.

Camino 2016 Day 20

Today we felt that we were in the movie "Those magnificent men in their flying machines" because we went upiddy up up  then down diddy diddy down down.  Between a down and up we saw some really in bridges being built across a valley, which must have been a good km across.
After an early start at around 7 am, we walked quite well in ideal conditions reaching La Espina at 3 pm.  We checked into a pension, which looked questionable from the outside but was clean and roomy after all.

Camino 2016 Day 19

We had an acceptable breakfast at our hotel then got out about 8:15 in dry overcast conditions.  While there was some vertical today, the trek was not tiring.  We reached Grado after 2 and went to the sole hotel in town only to be told that it was "completo".  After much gesturing and confusion they took us to another building and put us up in a room with shared bathroom.  It's fine for our purposes; we can wash clothes, eat and sleep.  Today we saw beautiful small valleys, some interesting trails and various livestock.  One horse came trotting to us as soon as I talked to him, so I picked grass to feed him.  He followed us to end of his pasture so I fed him again.  We took pictures.

Camino 2016 Day 18

Our hostesses at the hotel were great this morning. We were offered various bocadillos and we took chicken with blue cheese; it was excellent.  As we went to leave they offered us a bit of fruit for walkie; it turned out to be 8 pieces.  Then they gave us hugs and sent us on our way.  The walk into Oviedo was very pleasant, mostly on single lane country roads and foot paths.  As we entered the city we found 4 star hotel at half price, so we are in a very nice hotel tonight.  Since we arrived at noon, we are touring this afternoon. We decided to have a short day today because walking to the next town with a hotel would have been pushing our bodies too much.  We ate our major meal about 3:30 today.  It was phenomenal with a chicken salad to start; it was loaded with white meat.  Then we had generous servings of roast beef. Our drinks were a large glass of beer and a bottle of red wine.  We had to leave some wine.  Afterwards we visited the Oviedo Cathedral and museum.  It was fantastic but constituted information overload.  It was 9 centuries in the building so they had time to carve all those ornate figures.

Camino 2016 Day 17

We can now say that we are on the Camino Primitivo as we split off from the Camino Del Norte this morning.  About an hour later we had a choice of a higher shorter route or a lower longer one.  We chose the high route and followed the Camino markers.  After some descent we realized that they had sent us down to the other route.  Someone had changed the route.  Well we will just chalk it up to extra conditioning.  The guide book said that El Berron had all facilities but we found that it had no accommodations. We had to go to truck stop where we are staying for night and eating dinner and breakfast tomorrow.

Camino 2016 Day 16

We knew that today would be s test of our spirit and bodies as we have 37 km to walk to our destination, Villaviciosa.  This is the last town before the Camino splits into the Primitivo and Del Norte. Fortunately the weather cooperated with an overcast cool dry day. We made decent time and arrived just after 4 pm, which was pretty good considering that we missed a turn.  At La Isla we saw the ocean for the last time on this walk.  A little bit later we met a German fellow, Horst, who spoke good English; he walked the rest of the way in with us.  We took 62881 steps today.

Camino 2016 Day 14a

We left our excellent and inexpensive pension in liquid sunshine.  It was not raining hard, just a gentle mist that required pack covers and umbrellas. Actually we were continously putting them up and taking them down. The so-called scenic route was not so scenic today as the forest had been clear cut. 

The most entertaining aspect of today's walk was the town of Poo.  The Camino didn't follow the road into Poo, so we didn't see the sign for Poo.  All of sudden, we were there and hadn't realized that we stepped into Poo.  Before we knew it, we were right in the middle of Poo, so we stopped to take pictures.  We got one of Boppa standing in the middle of Poo; actually Gramie was standing in Poo when she took the picture.  Even though we both stood in the middle of Poo, our shoes stayed clean.  Also the grass was no greener and the trees were no taller in Poo than just out of Poo.  Not long after we walked out of Poo and to our amazement there wasn't a speck of Poo on our shoes. Does this mean that Spanish Poo is really different?

Camino 2016 Day 15

Today was different from the last three as the liquid sunshine disappeared. It was warm enough to walk without jackets but cool enough to make walking easy.  We walked on all kinds of surfaces today- roads, trails, gravel roads and city streets. The terrain was rolling so made good time covering about 27 km by early afternoon.  This gave us time to wash all our dirty clothes and hang them on the lines behind our hotel by mid-afternoon.  This is good because tomorrow is our most ambitious leg of the trip- about 36 km.

Camino 2016 Day 13

Today was just excellent for walking. We were treated to cool albeit damp weather that kept us from getting hot even when walking up hills.  After about two hours we found a bar that served bacon and eggs, which was a nice fuel up for the day.    Most of the walk was through farmland with rolling hills the tops of which had nice cool breezes.  As usual, there were lots of churches, some in excellent condition and others in ruins. We ended up in a pension beyond Colombres, which meant that we covered over 30 km by 2:30 pm.  We must be getting our walking legs.  Susie's counter said that we have over 50,000 steps.