Santiago!

Yesterday we walked almost 30 km to Lavacolla, so that our walk today would be short, only 10 km. It still took us 3 hours to get here. It's a beautiful sunny day and we've already seen a number of our Camino friends arrive or who made it here before us.




Here we are with our "get out of hell free" cards.... Umm.. Compostellas.




Here we are with Pat and Iggy, Irish brothers, who have been with us since the start 34 some days ago! Would you believe they are going to continue walking for 4 more days to Finistera? We thought of that but our feet and bodies changed our minds for us.




Here we are with Herman, from Belgium, and Shetheway, a Brazillian Japoneze woman, who also started from the beginning with us. Or by her calculation...777.7 km! Today was Herman's 100th day of walking... And he was DONE! He walked from his house in northern Belgium. Oh and he's 73!
A walking machine. I hope I can walk like that when I'm his age. All very nice people.




This is the FIRST thing that pilgrims do as soon as they take off their boots! They find food and drink. Pat's wife Jane met us in Santiago (smart gal)!

Location:Rúa do Pombal,Santiago de Compostela,Spain

We made it! We made it! We made it!!!

We just walked our last 10 km into Santiago! Boy are we pooped. Our feet still hurt, legs and knees still hurt, and we are especially happy that we don't have to walk tomorrow.
It's been a Buen Camino!! Muy Bien!

Location:Santiago de Compostella, España

Today's walk... In pictures

Location:Pedrafita do Cebreiro,Spain

Great day on the Camino... We walked with the cows

Walked 20.4 km today. From Herrerías to Fonfría, up 3000' elevation gain, into Galicia, through beautiful villages, and at one point with the cows! I would say the grass was greener on the Camino but it was really green everywhere else. This was one of the prettiest hikes yet.
Here's an idea of what the day looked like a few days back...

Location:Pedrafita do Cebreiro,Spain

We've hit the 100 mile mark!!

...meaning...we now have less than 100 miles to go! Our feet can't wait. We stopped outside Herrerías yesterday and found the greatest place ever, on a river, trees, mountains, cows... Beautiful place... Oh gotta run, looks like rain today and we have to climb a big big hill.

Location:Vega de Valcarce,Spain

Rabanal

21.4 km today into Rabanal... On our way over the pass of Irago tomorrow, the highest point on the trip (big mountain!). We walked with Ray and Patricia from L.A., and Ib from Denmark. All great people! Dewey has met his match with Ib... Ib can out walk and out talk him.










Here's the 5 of us at the Cowboy Bar today...

Location:Calle Real,Santa Colomba de Somoza,Spain

Astorga yesterday, Rabanal del Camino today

Had a nice short walk into Astorga yesterday (14.1 km). Saw the Gaudí building "Palacio Episcopal", the Bishops Palace. Very nice! Was a beautiful day...






In Astorga we were lucky to catch a flamenco dance by a group of local ladies....






Ok so they weren't a professional group but fun just the same.
This is the church in Astorga.

Location:Calle Real,Santa Colomba de Somoza,Spain

Maybe a bike........

Walking into Leon was tough. The damn Roman road with cobble stones beat our feet up. Once in Leon we went to El Cortez Ingles and looked around and to a bike shop near our hotel. I found one I could like....








I bet we can everything we need in the 'boot'. And compared to new feet this is cheap.

Location:Villarejo de Órbigo,Spain

Found a great Albergue after a 17.1 Km walk

Had a nice walk from Vilar de Mazarife to Villarejo de Órbigo today. Sunny and bright and FLAT! My kind of walking. Dewey has been searching out fried eggs and bacon for a couple of weeks now and we found them today. We also found a great (and the only Albergue) in the same spot. It's very nice, clean, and full of character. Now this is living!

Location:Villarejo de Órbigo,Spain

Abundant wildlife

Lots of wildlife on the Camino. Most come out in cool weather or after a rain. They are a little tough to photograph but we managed with our fast shutter. They have to be fast because the locals are out looking to add them to a midday meal. Yum Yum!




















And this is a slow walker trying not to step in the mud..........

Location:Calle del Carmen,Chozas de Abajo,Spain

As if we couldn't be humbled any more...

Oh did we tell you what humbled us yet again the other day? Besides the 75 year old gentleman who walked 10 times in sandals, the 78 year old woman who walked it at least 15 times, the one legged man who happily runs by us... We were in Calzadilla de los Hermanillos and coming out of a restaurant we meet a young woman Joanna from Canada. She and her husband are walking the Camino....from Roncesvalles! ...over 250+ miles!...with their TWO children. The kids are... TWO years old and 7 MONTHS old. They had just stopped for an early dinner and were loading the babies up in a double wide all terrain stroller. It had a rain cover (did we tell you it rained a lot the last couple of weeks?), there were washed cloth diapers hanging off the top to dry as they went along, it was equipped with extra handles as both parents had to push this buggy up hills together, hand breaks, a large pack on top of the buggy (I'm assuming for all the cloth diapers!), and each of the parents had a 70 pack strapped to their backs. Quite the load! Oh yea... And they didn't stay in Albuergues... They camped out in a tent! (did we tell you it rained a lot the last coupe of weeks?). Amazing!! Just when you think you've seen the toughest of people, someone new comes along and shows you that more can be done.... Hummmmmm. Oh and the babies were tranquilo and happy and cute as can be. Of course they were dotted on by every pilgrim and woman within the village. This was the one day we didn't have our camera with us - bummer. That's ok though, there is high probability we may run into them again. They had a 5 hour head start... So how fast could they be? Well we haven't seen them yet... Ol' injun Dewey has been watching out for their buggy tracks but he lost the trail. (that's another story)
Well on the road early tomorrow. Buen Camino!

Location:Calle del General Mola,Leon,Spain

Just the two of us....

A few photos of us... Happy as clams!

Location:Calle del General Mola,Leon,Spain

TV and his eggs...

These are the nice locals we met yesterday.