T minus 18 days

Well that week flew by. I have been busily entertaining myself with work and keeping myself indoors. We have been encouraged to stay indoors until May 5th and while that may seem a long time away, I choose to keep busy and let time do the work.

I woke up at 7am this morning so decided to get up and get the weekly shop done. Great news = no queues! Health-wise I am feeling fine. A little sluggish, but that is due to the lack of walking however I am getting a few kilometres of walking each week. Far less than what I was getting pre-lockdown. The only walk of note in my area is a park and the majority of the residents tend to walk in this park. It is difficult to practice social distancing as a result. All my favourite walks are outside of the 2km zone placed by the government. I can’t even go to the beach!

During my time off, I browse videos on YouTube and formulate plans for next year. Andrew Suzuki’s ‘Beyond the Way’ has released another video this morning and it brings back good memories of my time leaving Lisbon last September. His next video will see him in Porto where he walks to Santiago. From there he will meet other pilgrims.

Andrew describes himself as an “armchair philosopher” and and I like Andrew’s use of words, filming and humour throughout the series. The various quotes from the poet Charles Bukowski really makes you think. Throughout “Beyond the Way”, there are many quotes from many philosophers and great thinkers.

Efren has posted his 9th day from his Camino del Norte. The Camino del Norte is visually stunning but it will probably be the last Camino to attempt due to it’s difficulty. I have the Cicerone guidebook and have done some research but some of the descents look a bit demanding. The great thing is there are plenty of Caminos to choose from.

Anyway, that’s all the news from here. If you are interested, why not follow my instagram account https://www.instagram.com/clearskiescamino where I will be posting throwback photos from previous Caminos. Take care and stay safe.

Ok..since my last post, there have been more developments. And I have a feeling that will be the case for the next few months. Yesterday, we learned that our lord and saviour President Trump has placed a travel ban on flights from Europe (excluding UK and Ireland). Now, I’m not medically qualified, but this is highly unlikely to contain the virus. The only thing it has done has made some bad friends in Europe and made some US travellers very concerned.

But, enough of the politics. Here in Ireland, schools, colleges and public institutions will be closed until March 29th in the hope that it will delay the virus. On a personal level, it won’t be long before I will be working remotely and I look forward to it. I don’t feel any symptoms but it is only a matter of time. Here, we have 70 cases in Ireland but I believe we have far more.

And then there is Spain. First of all, no case of coronavirus has been detected on the Camino de Santiago. No pilgrim or hospitalero has tested positive for the virus. Until now, the main infectious areas in Spain remain concentrated in three points: the Community of Madrid, Vitoria and La Rioja. The Irish Department of Foreign Affairs has advised against non essential travel to these areas. For those with trips planned to the Camino, it may mean postponing for a few months (or next year). Coupled with that, some albergues are closing or curtailing beds due to coronavirus prevention.

I am still hoping to walk in September. Six months is a long time in dog years. In the meantime, let’s try and get together and look out for the more vulnerable in society. If I am unable to travel in September, the Camino isn’t going away anytime soon!

First of all I need to apologise for the delay in posting. With my time dedicated to work from Monday to Friday, I don’t have a lot of time for writing however I do try to write during the weekends or during the evenings. Last week, I had a nice easy walk, nothing too strenuous, but it was enjoyable. I would love to venture out again in the near future, this time with a pack. I have a 3 day pilgrimage coming up in May (2 months away). However, with the news of Covid-19 and with the lack of any positive outcome, it’s difficult to predict if I will walk this or not. At the time of writing, 18 people have contracted the virus in Ireland and a number of schools are closed. A few weeks ago, I didn’t think that it would cause us much disruption but I am willing to take that back now. Each and every morning, I go to work and hear people coughing. You can only imagine how unsettling that feels. But to be honest, I can see this getting worse. I feel for the vulnerable, I feel for the elderly, I feel for the people with existing conditions.

Ok, so the question remains what you do if you are planning to walk a Camino in Portugal or Spain in the near future? Do you go ahead or cancel? I see many pilgrims on social media already on the Camino in photos. So why not, is the answer to that. But I answer with a caveat!

You must firstly follow your own Government’s advice. If you are advised not to travel to an area where there is a spread, please do not travel. Otherwise, it is safe to travel.

On the Camino or anywhere for that matter, how can you stay safe from corunavirus:

There is as yet no vaccine for coronavirus so Spanish health officials are advising people to practice good basic hygiene to keep themselves protected.

• Wash hands your thoroughly and often with soap and water, especially after coughing and sneezing or before eating or it you have been touching surfaces that many other people will have touched such as on the Metro
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth, especially with unwashed hands.
• Cover your nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing. Cover your mouth with your elbow when coughing
• Use disposable tissues and throw them away after use
• Clean off surfaces with alcohol- or chlorine-based disinfectants.
• They insist that protective face masks are not necessary unless you have symptoms or are treating someone who has symptoms.

At this moment in time, I am travelling to Porto in September. I will wait and see how this develops before making a decision on whether to travel.

Some handy links:

• Worldwide cases
• Coronavirus in Spain
• Symptoms, treatment, how it is spread: hse.ie

It’s February and as I settle back to my new home (long story!), I begin to look ahead on the next few months. 2019 brought a record number of pilgrims to Santiago and the expectation is that this year, the numbers of visitors to Santiago will be higher. But I am here to write about my own walks and how I enjoy them. And I do enjoy them. The fact that I return each year shows you that I get great love from my time in Spain or Portugal. If I could spend longer, I would, but that’s for another blog post. I will make do with two weeks and a few days in Santiago once I arrive there.

I suppose I have an affinity with the coast. I was born and bred along the coast. I have lived with the sea breeze. Walking the Portuguese Coastal Route is somewhat special to me. It may not be the “true” Camino but having walked from A Guarda in 2018, I knew I would be back again. Am I even going as far as saying that the Portuguese Camino is more enjoyable than the Camino Frances? I will leave that for you to decide but it can have it’s benefits. The French Way will always have much more infrastructure – because more people walk it. On the Portuguese Camino, especially in September/ October when I do walk it, there will be less pilgrims but some albergues will be open.

I’m still conflicted, however, as the French Way has a small place in my heart. All those years on the meseta have had an effect on me!

My packing list has been reviewed and I suppose the only item I need to buy is a few pairs of socks. I might do that tomorrow. Everything else is ready for the Kerry Camino in May.

Speaking of tomorrow, I will help with our local Camino association at their annual information event in Dublin. I think this is the 3rd one I have attended in St James Church and each one has been packed! It just shows that each year interest in the Camino is growing and people are always curious looking for the right information. I will be there on deck helping future pilgrims. We seem to get a great response each year. I will post some photos in my next post. Talk to you later.

I have mentioned before that I edit a digital magazine for Camino Society Ireland, Shamrocks and Shells. It gives me great joy giving back to the Camino and it keeps me out trouble! It is published every quarter and the whole aim is to showcase the Society’s events throughout that quarter. We also look to publish pilgrim experiences, book and film reviews and practical information. Anything that a future pilgrim might find useful.

At present, we have the start of growing list of pilgrim stories dating back to 2018 but we are always looking for more. Every pilgrim has a story to tell, no matter where you have walked. If you do plan on writing, your submission will not be published on this blog but on Shamrocks and Shells. If interested, you might send me an email here. Looking forward to hearing from you and Buen Camino!