#portomarin

[jkrikis]

camino frances / portomarin

© 2023  Yiannis Krikis

[caminotravels]

Sept 7th

Sarria-Portomarin 23km

Well , the quiet walk is over . When we started off this morning leaving Sarria ,so did 500 people . I could not believe it . After walking the last days in peaceful quiet, it is now over . Plus the worst part is the cafe’s are so crowded you can’t get in or find a seat . Plus to have a toilet break , well that is just the worst as the line up now for the toilet is 30 people in line . So sad 😞….

We walked 6 km and had our first break , it was a little off the trail so it was quiet . Most pilgrims followed the trail so we escaped the crowds for this break . The walk for most of the morning was all up hill . Gradual incline not horrible but not nice either. This went on for 12 km , so I gather as we have been climbing morning , we are in for downhills soon .

We continued till we walked 17 km . We came across a store where we got a cold drink and sat down for rest . The walk has been climbing, slow increase but still climbing . We have about 2 km before the book says we start the steep descent down . I am not looking forward to that .

Well the descent was nothing bad at all. We arrived into Portomarin feeling tired, and once you arrive there you have to walk up many stairs to get to the town. So hard when you are totally beat. Well time to find hostel and relax. Another day completed.

[locustheologicus]

En El Camino: Our Pilgrimage to Compostela. (part 1)

Wendi and I took the ancient medieval pilgrimage to the famed Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia Spain. It was an amazing spiritual journey for us as we traversed the beautiful Spanish countryside with other pilgrims from many different places but mostly from Spain (we assume that early and perhaps late in the season is when locals make their pilgrimage while the tourist community from come in peak season).

The term "pilgrimage" is both literal and allegorical. We literally went through a journey from Sarria to Compostela, a 117 km walk where we stopped at 5 towns along the way.

Sarria to Portomarin

Portomarin to Palais del Rei

Palais del Rei to Arzua

Arzua to Amenal

Amenal to Compostela

The literal journey brought us to a holy place, the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela where the bones of the Apostle St. James are interned. I will reflect more on the Compostela experience in the next post.

But there is also an allegorical aspect to the concept of "pilgrimage" that is deeply important. The pilgrimage serves as a symbolism for the journey of life. As the Pilgrim's Museum stated:

The physical effort required to reach the pilgrim's goal is interpreted as a metaphor for the human spiritual journey, full of sacrifices, abnegation and heartache. Depending on the particular belief system one adheres to, the object of pilgrimage is to reach the highest level of knowledge, spiritual renewal, glory, paradise or eternal salvation.

I am glad I took these pictures (although I felt like such a tourist) because after you reach your goal I notice that the journey itself becomes a blur, as with life. For the pilgrimage to serve a full effect you need to journal about the path itself and my journal includes the images that remind me of what we saw and experienced. Let me share with you what I experienced in the pictures above.

The Chapel at the edge of Sarria: so this was at the beginning of our journey. As you left the town you see this old chapel that served a purpose in dismissing pilgrims as they started their journey. The chapel is a reminder of small holy sites that allow us to be close to God and to find meaning along the journey. There are many towns along the way and often you would find these churches that offer rest and resources like water that are essential for the pilgrim's journey.

The path along a stream: The path changes through the way. At times you are on rough gravel shielded by the forest, other times you share the open road where there is no shield from the sun or the elements. Here we had the pleasure of walking through a stream which felt very peaceful as you heard the cool water going past you. This was a very peaceful experience along the way.

The old stone bridge: Rivers and creeks run through the path and these old stone bridges were built to help the pilgrim traverse them. The bridge is now just part of the path itself and it easy to forget the amazing contribution that it offers. But the fact is that they were built for us pilgrims ages ago. These are infrastuctural designs that we can now take for granted but which have to also recognize as a social program that a community built to ease our path through difficult terrain. There is beauty and grace in these infrastructural systems that sometimes we need to recognize and appreciate.

The little Chapel on the path: Here on the path, we also find these little humble chapels that give us the opportunity to again rest and pray. This little chapel is cute and very humble with just a few hanging pictures inside but it serves a peaceful purpose along the way.

Livestock and farmers: The community along the path are made up of simple farmers and livestock handlers who share the road with us. Sometimes they greet you but more often than not they just ignore you are gaze at you wondering what exotic story you may have. This region is known for its cheese and there were many cows and sheep (and we were often greeted with a strong smell of manure) that either lay, walk, or graze along the way. Our way of life is dependent on the contributions from these animals and farmers and this again is something we also need to appreciate.

The narrow gorge: We had the opportunity to stay on the historical path or take an easier detour. We stayed on the historical path and chose to go through the narrow and steep gorge that brought us to town or Portomarin. It was not difficult for us as we enjoy hiking through rock scramblers but it is a reminder of the narrow twist and turns along the way that life gives you.

The water fountain: In almost every community, like this one at Palais del Rei, offer pilgrims access to the most essential resource for us humans. Part of our daily preparation was to fill up our water bottles or reservoir for the day's journey. As you can see I was up before dawn getting our stock ready. Throughout life we need to be ready to go on the path we are given and we need to be attentive to to these essential resources.

A misty dawn: Here, along the path, we woke up to a very misty fog that covered us before the morning sun hit us. Once the sun did shine you could see the mist retreating and the path is made clear once again. We often need to walk in the darkness and mist that is a part of our journey but we know that the sun will, at some point, bless us with its light and help us to clearly see where we need to go.

The Roman Ruins: pictures 9 and 10 highlight the amazing ruins of an ancient Roman town that was built atop of the hill in Galicia. The placement is rather obvious, on top of the hill where it has command of the high ground and can be vigilant with the Celtiberian community that would challenge now and again. We have an historical context that is an important part of our own identity. It is valuable for us know where we have come from and to learn the lessons of our past as we journey to our own future.

The moon greeting us as we begin the day's journey: It may not be easy to see but the light in the middle of this early morning picture is brilliant moon that lighted our path. It was an impressive site that kept us company as we left the town of Palais. When we first saw the moon it appeared huge and we kept our gaze on it until it finally set beyond the horizon. For a time however we felt that it accompanied us as we began that day's journey. At the end of that day, when we entered Arzua, we were greeted again by the moon and we thanked it for accompanying us on the beginning and end of the journey on that day.

The Bridge entering Melida: We found that many towns, like this one that we stopped along the way to Arzua, were often connected to rivers (some large and others small) that brought resources to the community. There is a delightful beauty in the way that a town develops itself and it is amazing to see the forces of economic and social development as it has for many years when old communities like this one formed.

The quiet beauty of a small Medieval town: Leaving Arzua we past by this smaller town which was very old and simple. Here again you can see an old church and a quaint old stone buildings (some empty and others still in use) This basket just sat there to hold offerings it seemed in front of the Church. There is something very simple and idyllic about towns such as this. Something peaceful and timeless. if I had time I would go in to meditate within the church but alas, the journey called me forth.

Planter Boots: I thought it was amazing that in this other town a community took up old and worn boots and transformed them into planters. I thought that this was an ingenious way of symbolizing the path. New life springs forth from the boots that take us through life's journey. At some point they may retire from their initial function but even in then they can be source of new an unexpected life.

A much-needed Coffee Break: Here we are stopping at a cafe in one of these small towns along the way. The cafe allowed us to enjoy a cafe con leche and some crackers that gave us the energy we needed before we continued on our way. These are necessary breaks that we need to be mindful of as we need to the refresh ourselves every now and then before we continue on our way.

The mystical forest: Now and then something mystical can be found in the book of nature. I certainly felt something mystical when we encountered this forest which invited me to enter into its natural portal which you can see beyond the broken stone wall. This forest reminds me of a quote we saw from Martin Buber, a Jewish mystic who famously said "all journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware."

A Church offering the sello: Larger medieval churches would give pilgrims an opportunity to learn about the role of the Church and aspects about the faith. After leaving Amenal I entered two churches to receive that seal which we put on our camino passport (I will show you mine in the next post). Often times these churches can offer some insights along the journey.

The World is a book and those who do not travel read only one page - St. Augustine.

[bonsoirs37]

25/05 étape 51 Ferreiros - Palas del Rei

Pas de petit déj dans notre albergue, donc départ peu après 6h00. Nous atteignons vite la borne des 100 km , déçus : ils auraient pu faire mieux. Mais bon cela ne nous empêche pas de progresser quasi seul sur le chemin jusqu'à Portomarin ou là nous nous arrêtons pour prendre le fameux petit déj, indispensable pour poursuivre dans de bonnes conditions notre parcours.

Mais à Portomarin c'est le choc : nous voyons les bars et hôtels submergés par de grosses valises qui seront acheminées par des camions jusqu'à la prochaine destination des pèlerins. Une sacrée organisation, vu le monde que nous rencontrons à partir de cette ville et jusqu'à notre terminus du jour, et ce sera pareil jusqu'à Santiago. Des groupes de jeunes américain ou anglais , espagnol, et même français, ils sont reconnaissables : en groupe et sans sac ou un petit.

Tout au long de la journée, beaucoup de monde sur le chemin, ça tranche avec le reste du Camino effectué. On a plus l'habitude.

Cette journée, finalement, belle et ensoleillée, me fait prendre conscience que je ne suis plus seul, il va falloir essayer de s'isoler dans sa bulle sans oublier les petits français que nous pouvons rencontrer comme hier soir au dîner avec Jean Pierre de Paris et ce matin Elsa, de Toulouse avec qui nous avons partagé sur le chemin.

[slowroadtosantiago]

Day 40 - Portomarin to Palas de Rei

Today we walked a suggested standard stage as classified by John Brierly’s book, which means that others will be following the same stages, and it was very noticeable how much busier it was.

We’re quite proud of ourselves as it was 16 miles and we weren’t collapsing at the end. We were meant to be doing a shorter stage tomorrow, but buoyed on by today we have changed our itinerary so we’ll do three longer days and will get to Santiago on Tuesday instead of Wednesday. That day the cathedral will be using the Botafumeiro, the very large swinging incense burner, at the mass at 7:30 and we hope to see it.

So, back to today….We set off just before 7:10 as there was a breakfast stop about 5 miles up the road. We met Laura on the way out and walked with her a little way until she left us for dead on the hill out of town (she is in her early 20’s after all).

There were a steady stream of people with us but they looked like seasoned Pilgrims. We had some lovely views looking back once we had ascended the hill.

It’s still very green and Welsh-like and very undulating!

After a couple of hours we stopped at a cafeteria for breakfast. We were impressed with the place as it was very busy yet the staff were incredibly organised and got people served very quickly. It was interesting trying to distinguish the walkers between those who just joined at Sarria and those who had been going much longer!

The path wandered through avenues of trees and next to fields. We paused at a small church where a blind man was giving out sellos (stamps) so we queued for one.

Our next major stop, some 5 miles further on, was at an Albergue called Fuente del Peregrino where tea, coffee and cold drinks were by donation. The place was full of volunteer young Americans from a university in Pennsylvania on a mission doing a week helping out, then tomorrow they would be walking the Camino themselves from Sarria. We sat on benches outside sharing all our snacks with Rian while the hens clucked about underneath our feet.

There are local elections going on so the peace was broken by loudspeakers on top of cars driving down the narrow country lanes imploring people to vote for one candidate or another. All the while a steady stream of people walked by where we were sat. We have also not seen quite so many taxis going backwards and forwards before.

After one last push we got to Palas de Rei about 2. Our Albergue is very clean and new and we’re again in bunks, no imploring would get us two bottom ones today. Jane has elected to go on top this time.

Once unpacked we went out to find something to eat. We found one restaurant and as I really fancied pasta today, had their lasagne which went down very well. Afterwards we found an ice cream parlour just next door, it was fate!

Back at the Albergue we had showers and the usual washing.

We’ve just been out to find a supermarket to stock up on snacks and drinks for tomorrow and are now back too pooped to stop out for a wine. It’ll be an early night tonight.

Tomorrow’s walk is going to be a mile or so longer than today, but we’ve paid ahead for our bunks so there will be no rush.

[katriinamary]

El Camino de Santiago - SJPDP > Santiago de Compostela

Day 28 - 12th September - Ferreiros > Eirexe

Day 29 - 13th September - Eirexe > Ribadiso

Day 30 - 14th September - Ribadiso > Lavacolla

Day 31 - 15th September - Lavacolla > Santiago de Compostela

Slept in late at albergue, left around 8am, into the misty rain, which didn't last too long. Quick walk to the 100km to go marker. Hilly up and down into Portomarin. A really steep descent - apparently dangerous - down to the bridge into town. Then a quick run up the stairs, and we head out of town. Stop at Castromajor for lunch - burger - and then at Ventas de Narón, and had Cebriero cheese, anchovies, olives and tostadas, before the final 4km to Eirexe.

Grown a large blister on my heel, big 34km day tomorrow. Went to pub across road for dinner, thought we had ordered a 4 cheese pizza, ended up having a 4 type pizza which was good! One sardine, one olives, mushrooms, and one meat.

Started out in the dark, undulating paths, quite cold - I had to wear sandals with my blister, chilly toes! At 7km we got into Palais del Ray and found all the people. It was horrible, they were everywhere - some big school groups, and none would move to the side, took hours to pass. Stopped for snacks at Casanova for snacks, and Mileda for lunch. Found a local place called Meson o Toxo, where we had menu of the day. I had Galician soup, meat, and a Santiago tart to finish. Rest of the walk was pretty, with nice woody sections. Had two breaks in the last 11km - one calippo, one beer.

Leaving Ribadiso in the dark, nice stars above us. As we walk into the next town, we saw they had a huge fiesta last night - missed it!! Have decided that I want to extend the walk to the coast, to either / both Fisterra / Muxia. Less crowds today, was a good walk. Stopped around 20km for lunch - couldn't find places serving food, bought some lettuce and had sandwiches, nice picnic in the forest. Arriving in Lavacolla, albergue is nice, right on the main road. Fail a bit trying to get dinner, but get fed eventually - late. Big serving of calamari, and some baked sea bass.

Late start, nice sunrise, only 10km to go. Lots of the Km markers are missing on the way, which is a shame. Suddenly we are in the big city, we head to the square outside the cathedral, then to the pilgrim office to get our certificates. We made it We wander to go to the mass, and find a crazy huge queue - decide to come back for evening mass.

Have a drink, naps, early dinner, then to mass. A lot was not in English, so it was difficult to follow along. It was interesting to see MOC at church, new experience.

[eopederson3]

Paisaje rural con valla rota cerca de Portomarin - paisaxe rural con valla rota preto de Portomarín, Lugo, 2001.

[whereareroo]

PORTOMARIN





WF UPDATE: DAY 10 (7/10/23).

Our routine continues to work perfectly. We hit the trail at 7:03 a.m. and we hit our new hotel at 2:00 p.m. We covered 15 miles.

GC1 says that 15 miles is the perfect distance for a walk. I agree with him. Anything less is too short. If you push beyond 15 miles (like we did on Days 4,5, and 7), at some point you start to wish that you had finished at mile 15.

On the trail today, the vibe was very different. Compared to our earlier days, it was crowded. It’s not swamped with Pilgrims by any means. We’ve simply become accustomed to an almost empty trail. The big influx of new Pilgrims who started in Sarria is very noticeable. The Pilgrim population has probably increased by 300% or 400%. There’s plenty of room for everyone, but it is unsettling to see so many other people.

The Pilgrims who started long before Sarria have different reactions to the sudden influx of “new” Pilgrims.

Some longer haul Pilgrims are annoyed by the new arrivals. They’ve come to view the trail as their own personal Camino, and they’re bothered by the interruption of the solitude. I know a Pilgrim who is quite annoyed. I won’t name him. Let’s just call him “X.” If you want the mathematical formula to solve for X, it would be something like this: X= GC5-GC4.

Other longer haul Pilgrims are absolutely fine with the influx of new Pilgrims. The Camino is for everybody! The more the merrier. It’s great to see so many people getting some exercise and conquering a challenge. It’s particularly great because many of them will also experience personal growth, spiritual growth, or both. I’m pleased to see a big crowd. It renews my faith in humanity.

I will admit that there is a downside to the larger number of Pilgrims. Unlike before, there are now times that we need to pass through a group that is moving too slowly. Unlike before, there are now times that we get passed by a group. Either way, it’s somewhat annoying because your pace gets disrupted. These annoying moments only happen a few times an hour. For the vast majority of time, we’re basically by ourselves and we’re not being bothered by anybody. It’s no big deal. I’m happy to suffer the minor inconvenience that’s caused by the fact that so many folks are traveling on The Way. After all, we’re all in this together.

Our home for the night is a city called Portomarin. It’s pretty standard for a Pilgrim town. There’s a Main Street with a pharmacy, groceries store, and oodles of places to eat and drink. There’s a big central plaza that features a big church. Here are two “fun facts” about Portomarin:

1. There are 15 Pilgrim dormitories here. For folks don’t want to sleep in a big room full of strangers, and who prefer their own bathroom, there are also a few hotels. Now that we’ve been joined by the “Sarria Pilgrims,” there will be more facilities in every town.

2. Portomarin sits on a river. In 1962 they built a dam across the river to flood the lower sections of the city and create a reservoir. Before the flooding, to the extent possible, they moved everything up a hill to the higher part of the city. They couldn’t move the big church that was at the bottom of the hill. It was unique in many ways, including the fact that it doubled as a military building. The roof of the church featured military battlements that allowed troops to watch for, and defend against, any enemies that might attack via the river. Isn’t that weird? Here’s what even weirder. They built an exact recreation of the church, including the military battlements, in the plaza at the top of the hill.

I gotta go. Time for GC1’s nightly ice cream. Today he’s already eaten two bananas, a yogurt, a chocolate pastry that he’s adopted as his “favorite,” a big empanada, a bunch of bread, a slice of cheesecake, two big ham and cheese sandwiches, and some cookies. He’s also consumed more that 2 liters of water, a yogurt drink, and a few Cokes. Doesn’t it make sense to top it all off with some ice cream?

Speaking of GC1, he had a close encounter with a bull today. A farmer was moving his herd along the trail. When the last encounter occurred, GC1 was a bit spooked. Today, he posed for pictures with the bull. Welcome to The Camino!

You better go have some ice cream too. We have another hike tomorrow.

[cartagenabienesraices]

😍DE LUJO😱 🚨Apartamento En Venta🚨 BOCAGRANDE📍, Cartagena 🇨🇴 Portal inmobiliario: https://www.WilsonFranco.co ☝️CLICK AQUÍ☝️ ÁREA: 289m2📐 Sala 🛋️ Comedor 🍽️ Cocina 🥘 Baño de visita 🛀 3 habitaciones 🛌 con baño privado 🛀 Sala estar 📺 Área de labores 🚰 Cuarto de servicio con baño 👩‍🍳 2 parqueaderos 🚘 1 Depósito 📦 Amenidades: Muelle 🛥️ Piso 9 piscina 🏊 Piso 38 salón de yoga, spa, área social, gimnasio, sala de juntas. Piso 39 Piscina 🏊 . . . . . #cartagenabienesraices #Penthouse #atardecer #apartamento #apartamentos #bocagrande #vistapanoramica #apartamentodelujo #cartagena #cartagenadeindias #cartagenacolombia #bienesraices #propiedadesenventa #realty #realestate #luxury #luxurylifestyle #luxuryhomes #luxuryhome #luxurylife #luxuryliving #luxuryrealestate #edificioportomarine #portomarine (en Cartagena De Indias, Colombia) https://www.instagram.com/p/Coqo4dcO8uZ/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[eopederson3]

Portomarin

Castromaior (Portomarín. Galiza)

[caminostar77]

Portomarin in the beautiful province of Lugo. 📎 Visit my shop for Camino de Santiago Art products: http://caminoestrella.com/shop https://www.etsy.com/shop/CaminoEstrella ✈ Worldwide shipping

[jkrikis]

camino frances / portomarin

© 2023  Yiannis Krikis

[caminotravels]

Sept 8th

Portomarin-Palis de Rae. 26km

It was a very foggy morning today . The temperature was 10 degrees so a little cool . We stopped and had a coffee and croissant first as we knew there would be be nothing for at 10 km today and the first part of the walk is all up hill .

Up hill it was , it was not bad but sure made your heart pump. The first 10 was just ok today , just a little annoying with the crowds of people. So many people now , even more than Sarria . It is just a steady flow of humans walking .

I sure miss the quiet walking where you are in your own thoughts. Now it is constant chatter in front and behind you .

We finally came across a cafe but decided to wait till the second one as it was extremely crowded. It was a good choice as about a kilometer down the trail another cafe was there .

We stopped to have a coffee and just a foot break .

It has been a long long day today. So many people on the trail and it just seem to be never ending. I can’t say I enjoyed today’s walk. We stopped when we reached 20 km and had another cold drink and this time I was thought I should eat something because I was feeling super tired and was just finding it hard to walk. And we still had another seven to go we had that break we just kept going, I just wanted to get that now, but I was just so far before we reached the town I found the day tiring and uninspiring. The trails were mainly behind the road, and there was nothing exciting to see.

Just happy to be in the hotel room now.

Let’s hope tomorrow is actually little better.

[agustivm]

Portomarín. Galicia. Spain. Caminó De Santiago.19 de abril de 2019

[chinike]

Very proud of my compostela 💕👣 #2018 #august #summer #pilmigrage #peregrina #stjamesway #santiagodecompostela #spain #galicia #samos #sarria #portomarin #pedrouzo #palasderei #arzua 🇪🇸 (at New Rochelle, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/BnKbi82FgwW/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=f9mvrpfpnfoh

[slowroadtosantiago]

Day 39 - Barbadelo to Portomarin

It was another 12 miler today.

After a very restless night (the bites on my arms are very extensive and pretty horrific) we were up at 6:30 as usual and on the road about 20 past 7. It is noticeable that the path has become more busy and there was a steady stream of people coming up from Sarria.

The sun was only just up and everything looked very pretty looking backwards.

We did our usual trick of walking for a few miles before stopping for breakfast. When we did stop Rian had just arrived ahead of us so we had breakfast together. I stuck to a croissant but Jane decided to go off piste and have a pasty, which wasn’t the best of moves. She described it as baby food wrapped in pastry, delightful!

From Sarria onwards you are supposed to get two stamps per day on your Camino passport to prove you walked the path. The cafe had a stamp at its entrance so we got ours when we went in. We then proceeded to watch two older women draw up in a taxi, get a stamp without stopping for a coffee, get back in the taxi and disappear. I’m not sure that’s really the spirit of the Camino. We did see them a bit later posing by a kilometre sign without the taxi so assume they walked some of it.

Just as we were leaving the cafe Laura (from Germany) popped up and it was lovely to see her again. Her and Rian got on very well. The path carried on mainly on quiet roads and footpaths at an elevated level with enclosed fields and woodland around us.

Almost every house we passed had an elevated oblong building in the garden, that was perched at a height with a skirt protecting the upper ventilated part. We had quite a debate as to what they could be used for. I thought grain (and I was right in the end) but they didn’t look big enough, and ideas ranged from honey stores to somewhere you kept your family ashes as the roofs often had crosses on.

After a while we got to the 100kms marker! We’re nearly there (well only a few more days walking).

In the next cafe afterwards, a mile or so down the road, we celebrated with the most amazing cheesecake.

We then pottered downhill towards Portomarin in the distance. In the 1950’s the town had been relocated to allow the river to be dammed and flooded. The church was taken apart piece by piece and you can still see the numbers on the blocks used to help put it back together again.

We found the Albergue run by a very nice old couple and some young American girls took pity on us and allowed us to both have bottom bunks.

After settling in we went into the town to get some lunch (menu del dia again), before coming back and chilling, napping and showering.

About half 5 we wandered down to the supermarket to get snacks for tomorrow before sitting in the sunshine on the church steps eating an ice cream. Here Rian found us, and Fraser also turned up.

We found a local bar in the sunshine (it was nippy with a cold wind), and had a sangria together. Just before 8 we left, Fraser going to the supermarket, Jane and I back to the Albergue, and Rian went off with Laura who had turned up last minute.

Teeth are cleaned and we’re sorting out our bags for our long walk tomorrow, about 16 miles.