For me there are three distinct parts to doing a long walk. The first stage is the planning and research which I always enjoy even if time consuming. The second stage is actually doing the walk which can be surprising and tough. The third stage is about processing the experience and using this to make future plans. Here are my impressions following the Portuguese Camino … Continue reading Reflections on Portuguese Camino in May 2017
Madrid is a laid back city which is not overly dominated by tourists and is compact enough to be able to walk to all major attractions. A really neat thing about Madrid is that there are many things to do which are either free or cost very little. Enjoy the Glorious Gardens in El Retiro and Walk Along Paseo del Prado – El Retiro is huge … Continue reading How to spend a Day in Madrid Mostly for Free
Padron to Santiago de Compostela Since we started today’s walk from our accommodation 5 kilometres past Padron we had a walk of about 18 kilometres to our final destination, Santiago de Compostela. We would soon be joining hundreds of pilgrims walking from Porto like us (or perhaps from Seville or France or Germany or elsewhere) at the finish of the pilgrimage in the heart of … Continue reading Portuguese Camino in May:Day Nine Final Day
Caldas de Reis to Padron After 24 kilometres of walking in the rain today we have arrived at a beautiful place to stay called Casa de Meixada. It is a rural Casa near Padron and only 17 kilometres from Santiago. So our final destination is very near now and tomorrow’s walk into Santiago will be exciting! Today I took very few photos because of rain … Continue reading Portuguese Camino in May : Day Eight
Arcade to Caldas de Rais Today has been a super long day of walking. It has been our longest leg of about 37 kilometres. Arriving at our hotel (which took an extra half hour to find in this largish town of Caldas de Rais) was a wonderful feeling. We were somewhat drowned rats by the time we arrived after 3.30pm but again we were lucky … Continue reading Portuguese Camino in May: Day Seven
Porrino to Arcade We were lucky today because we arrived in Arcade before the rain. In fact it still hasn’t rained. A pleasant 24 kilometre section with some steep up and down bits but good, flat walking surfaces. A little bit more walking on roads because we again had to navigate large towns. As we walked to the very top we could see glimpses of … Continue reading Portuguese Camino in May: Day Six
Cossourado to Porrino Today was a tough day, about 35 kilometres in very warm conditions and we had to walk through several large towns and outer suburbs. While the arrows were still good for directions it was not always easy navigating large towns. The rural sections were always easier and more relaxing. The first large town that we walked into was the medieval walled town … Continue reading Portuguese Camino in May: Day Five
Our footsteps in the beautiful city of Seville have taken us along plenty of winding, narrow lanes in the old city as well as through the gardens and more modern areas near Plaza de Espana. To do justice to this city we really need more than 4 days but that is all we have so here are some of our highlights from walking around the … Continue reading Footsteps in Seville
Spain is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. From San Sebastián in the north to Seville in the south, from buzzing Barcelona to marvellous Madrid, tourists have fallen in love with Spain and the Spanish. What makes Spanish people so fascinating? Here are some observations from an Australian occasional tourist which should not be taken too seriously. They have buckets of energy … Continue reading 10 Reasons why the world has fallen in love with the Spanish
