pilgrim

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Camino 2018 – Day 3 – Nigrán to Vigo

May 9th, 2018 – Day 3
Nigrán to Vigo

It was a short day and a day away from the traditional Camino. While many pilgrims stay inland from A Ramallosa, myself and Ray decided to stick to the shore until Vigo. Instead of following yellow arrows, we would be following green arrows and walking along beaches. Not that there was a problem with that!

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We left Pension El Retiro in Nigrán and made our way to the coast. That meant consulting Google Maps and searching for signs with “Playa”. It wasn’t too long before we met the sea and walk along Paseo Marítimo. The Paseo has a wealth of cafes open for breakfast. A half an hour people-watching and coffee-sipping later, we were ready for another few kilometres walking. Panxon is a fine town and one that must be buzzing during the summer months. The trail sits along the beach but cuts away from the coast if need be. We walk on pavement for the day, but it is a nice feeling to walk on sand if those green arrows ask us to do so. Various surf clubs share the Camino with pilgrims, we all get along! There is a lack of pilgrims however, it is a quiet route and it is not until Redondela before we meet other souls.

We do encounter our first distance marker, however, in the town of Prada. We have no less than 115 kms left to Santiago and we are getting a little bit excited. But, we have this day to complete yet!

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The terrain remained flat save for one or two short climbs but nothing too stressful. It was a very enjoyable day and it was nice to have the sea on my left-hand side walking into Vigo. Walking on the Playa de Samil, a long stretch of beach, we passed a fully open beach park while tiny drops of rain fell from the sky. We were lucky that it didn’t materialise into heavier rain.

We made it to Vigo shortly after midday. Our walk into the city was made through the port, passing dozens of workers unloading items from trucks. Talk about scenic!! I passed the remark to Ray that this Camino is in honour of many medieval pilgrims who sailed into this port centuries ago. While the day was enjoyable, the particular part of Vigo we had stayed in was as Camino unfriendly as you can get. As I had checked into Hostal Real by the port, we spot a large ferry docking. But we try not to get too negative and think of tomorrow.

To Redondela..

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¡Buen camino! documentary on TVE

I first became aware of the above programme on Spanish TV channel “RTVE” last weekend when it popped up on my Facebook feed. I immediately went to the channel’s website and watched the first episode which is available for streaming for quite a while. The programme is broadcast each Thursday at 12.25am but is uploaded for viewing online right after.

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I then saw a post by Cathy Seitchik Diaz on the Facebook group September, 2017 – Camino de Santiago. Cathy has just returned from her 3rd Camino and I wanted to know how she got on, so I messaged her. When she replied she told me that she had been interviewed by the producers of ¡Buen camino! and she is due to be on Episode 6. I thought Wow!!

The documentary follows a Spanish pilgrim, Marta Márquez, as she walks from Villafranca del Bierzo to Santiago on the Camino Frances. On her way, she meets many pilgrims from all over the world. We hear about their experiences and the reasons that led them to do this challenge. There are also short segments about the different Caminos, how to achieve your Compostela and what kit to carry. The first show started on July 13th and it will continue for a further 9 weeks – each week for each etapa.

The program discovers stories such as ……
– Cathy (above), a teacher from San Francisco, California, who carried her mother’s ashes with her;
– Irene and Sam, a mother and her 3 year old son riding a bicycle. They discover landscapes and areas of Galicia that they will never forget;
– Derek, a former Irish soldier stationed in Iraq. He found on the Way the remedy for its nightmares and disturbing visions.

You can view the 2 episodes shown so far by clicking on the links below –

¡Buen camino! Episode 1 – www.rtve.es/alacarta/videos/buen-camino/buen-camino-programa-1/4114558/

¡Buen camino! Episode 2 – www.rtve.es/alacarta/videos/buen-camino/buen-camino-programa-2/4125643/

The episodes are broadcast in Spanish however there are subtitles. If you do know of a way to change the subtitles to English, please let me know. For me however, having subtitles as it is, it is a great way of improving my Spanish as I understand most of what is being said when I read it.

I’m looking forward to seeing Cathy following our chat and I would love to have her contribute to our “Your Stories, Your Camino” series sometime in the future.

Buen Camino!

PS…please read Cathy’s comment below if you wish to change the subtitles to English. Her instructions are extremely helpful. I will upload a post about Cathy’s recent Camino shortly. Keep your eye on this space! 🙂 

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Are you a Pilgrim or a Walker?

It’s close to 10pm here in cold Dublin but wanted to share the below video with you all before I called it a night. It’s a pretty long video, coming in at close to 3 hours, so if you have a bit of time spare, it is well worth the watch. The maker of the video (sorry, I didn’t get a name but he goes by the username “Nalutia“) walked from St Jean Pied de Port to Fisterra in 2015 over 30-something days and I suppose this acted as a bit of a video diary. There are some great scenes of the Pyrenees and the meseta, with nice local music from Pamplona, La Rioja and Santiago.

During the video, he points out that, in his opinion, there are two types of people walking the Camino – pilgrims or trekkers / walkers. The vast majority of people say they are pilgrims but is the intention there to come home a better person than before? Do you visit a church, or take in the surroundings if you are not religious?

Or would you be a walker? Do you leave your accommodation before sunrise, ignore the amazing surroundings and attractions, and try to get to Santiago in the least amount of time? If you have walked the Camino before, the great “Bed Race” is an example of this, which I have been guilty of before!! This really defeats the purpose of the Camino in my opinion.

So if you are planning an upcoming Camino, listen to what the man in the below video has to say. Take your time, leave your earphones at home and experience what Spain has to offer. Go there with an open mind also, because, even if you don’t consider yourself a pilgrim now, you might learn something new about yourself while on the Way.

A tripod and expensive camera might be a little too much however… enjoy!

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2016 becomes 2017

Now that the Christmas festivities are over, it is time to bid farewell to 2016 and look forward to 2017. While I did enjoy my short jaunt on the Camino Fisterra in September, 2016 in general will not be missed. Also while I am writing this post, I hear that Carrie Fisher has just passed away. Sigh, may she rest in peace, along with the many other people who have been taken far too early. How and ever, closer to home, my broken wrist should shortly be healed fully and I hope to move into my new humble abode in the first quarter of the year. I say all this with two fingers crossed behind my back, while keeping hold of my collection of 4-leaf clovers!

But one thing that I’ve been quietly planning since September was a return to Spain and the Camino Frances. I can’t seem to pull myself away from it. My destination has been unclear however. One time, I wanted to walk the meseta, the next I wanted to try the Camino Ingles, and another I had wanted to try the Camino Portuguese from Porto. This is the downfall of only having two weeks to work with. I was really unsure of a starting point until November. But I’ve made up my scattered mind now and have decided to walk from the beautiful city Leon to Santiago de Compostela, 300 km over a period of roughly 14 days. I have chosen April 25th as my start date and have my flights and accommodation in Leon arranged. While I have walked from Leon a number of times, I haven’t walked beyond Sarria since 2011. I have chosen Leon as a starting point as I really enjoy the hills from Astorga to Molinaseca, especially on a warm day. I am also going to see if I can avoid the end stages in Brierley’s guidebook. The towns of Hospital de Orbigo, El Acebo, Cacabelos and Las Herrerías may be small but they are fab places to stay. Other times, I have passed them not giving them a thought.

So now is a great time to create the #caminodesantiago2017 hashtag and write how I’m getting on until April. Kit-wise, I have little to change which is a saving grace! I was also given a little action camera over Christmas which I fully intend to use. I have ordered a little clip that will attach it to my backpack strap so I can take plenty of random videos and photos.

And just to finish this post, I want to wish you all a happy New Year! Feliz Ano Nuevo!

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tee-travel.com

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Weekend Watch #35 – Strangers on the Earth

I first learned of Dane Johansen at the start of last year from the Beyond the Way series. Dane had walked the Camino Frances in 2014 carrying his cello on his back. Each night, he had performed and recorded Bach’s Six Suites for Solo Cello in churches along the way. He also spoke to pilgrims while walking taking in their stories. I hadn’t looked into this potential documentary until I saw a trailer for this final product “Strangers on the Earth”.

Full details about the release of the documentary can be found on Walktofisterra.com and Sotefilm.com and below is the trailer. I really hope a DVD is available for purchase in the near future. The film is on show at the Vancouver International Film Festival at present and there are plenty of other videos from Dane over on his YouTube channel. Enjoy!

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2016..

…it’s got a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?

two..oh..one..six..

..I haven’t got used to writing it yet, but at least we have got one extra day to try and complete all those New Year’s resolutions, eh?

Christmas was good but I’m happy to be out of silly season. There wasn’t much walking done however, as the weather was as Irish as you can get. However, I was one of the lucky ones as hundreds of homes around Ireland were destroyed due to flooding. The beautiful Lough Derg Way which I walked last year, and the towns surrounding it, is submerged in water. The weather in general has been unusual for this time of the year with tornadoes in America and extreme heat in Australia. I find it insane that some people still don’t believe in global warming.

Anyway, moving on…

product_thumbnailI’m really eager to receive a new purchase in the post next week. I love keeping an eye out for books (paperback or kindle) about the Camino and I have found one written by Luke Darracott. Luke walked the Camino a couple of years back and decided to write about it before going. He also video logged his journey. Once I receive it and read it, I will post a review. It can be bought online on lulu.com. I love the cover art, it’s very vibrant and it’s just like the Camino during the months of May and June.

 

And finishing up for now, I’ve decided on returning to Spain in September when I will walk from Ponferrada to the coast. I haven’t walked this section since 2012 so I’m eager to return. More on that later.

 

 

 

Article : National Pilgrim Paths Day

Article : National Pilgrim Paths Day

Today was National Pilgrim Paths Day in Ireland and this link has a great article to highlight that. Over the last few months, there has been a great drive to encourage people to walk one (or some) of the many walkways throughout Ireland. There are looped, circular and linear walks, each with their own forms of difficulty. Many (if not all) are way-marked and much work has been done to maintain these treasures. Websites like www.irishtrails.ie and www.pilgrimpath.ie promote these trails.

While trojan work has been done, I think that there should be work done in weaving these paths to create one trail over a number of counties. Not only will this attract tourists but it could be great for the many towns it passes. It may be difficult putting structure in place like the various Caminos in Spain but there is no harm working towards it.