I am writing this post on October 10 from Siena, a world class city of historical and artistic significance. We enjoyed our last “rest day” in Siena and tomorrow will begin a series of nine walking days before the final approach to Rome.
We started October by traveling from Maritime di Massa to Camaiore, leaving the Ligurian Sea to go back inland for the rest of our Camino.
To get to Maritime di Massa (Port of Massa) we walked through heavy rain that came an hour before predicted. We were soaked and uncomfortable, but luckily the next day was mostly clear and we felt ourselves again!
On another rainy evening in Aulla, a town with ancient Roman roots and name, we made friends with two French pilgrims, Annelise and Simon. They are a delightful couple expecting their first child and spending six plus weeks walking the Via de San Francesco, starting with two weeks of tent camping through France to get to Italy! We admire their stamina and their enormous good nature and charm.
Highlights of the last few days: After the rain and wet we have been blessed with fine weather.
When we reached the fabulous small city of Lucca, we treated ourselves to a “rest day” which means we actually spent two consecutive nights in the same place! Our last rest day was in Pavia, 11 days earlier. It was delightful.
We continue to exercise Ed’s imagination and planning to use a combination of busses, trains and cabs to be able to walk about 10 to 12 km per day. This is less than our 2019 camino daily average of 15 km but appears sustainable. Ed can go longer and faster but is kind to adapt to my capabilities. Anne has two new blisters but the highly effective silicone patches sold in Italy work beautifully. Along the way, we are also becoming quite knowledgeable about the idiosyncrasies of Italian local public transport.
This test is for a trial photo.
This is a test posting with picture to make sure I know how to do it. E
Reactivating our blog is one of many preparations we are making to get back on the road!
Yesterday, September 27, we walked in light rain and cool (65°) from Navia to Tapia de Castariego. Both are fishing ports (neither as dramatic as Luarca) but Tapia thrusts out furthest on a slim peninsula. This morning the temperature is only 49° at waking, so the seasonal change is felt.
The maize is being harvested (Ed is hoping to witness the process in person) and we walk by fields of bronzed stubble. Occasional song birds break the silence.
We were happy to celebrate Mass last night in Tapia’s parish church, San Esteban. The last five nights did not offer Mass opportunities. We have been walking through even more remote, small places with few people compared to the first two weeks.
The quality of the seafood in small places next to the fish landing spots is delightful. Navia’s famous (we were told) El Chikren del Puerta has only a small sign on its door, obscured when the door is left open. The navarones (razor clams) were amazing. Tapia’s La Marina answered with Sopa de Pescadore and rabadolla (turbot).
A long walk brought us close to Wednesday’s destination of Luarca. We decided to use Ed’s newly acquired Spanish SIM card to find our way through the town rather than directly to Apartamentos La Capitaine. Mistake???
Turning a corner, we gasped at the beautiful little port laid out far below. There had been no hint of the beauty — or elevation change — until that moment.
Naturally, we plunged down the hill to investigate. Later, we were ready to call it a day. We bought some groceries because the apartamento was supposed to have a kitchen and might be a distance from town.
Not only were we on the wrong side of the Rio Negro at this point, but faced another steep climb. And when we arrived, no one was there; the place was locked up tight.
No worries. Ed made a few Spanish phone calls, we waited, and Ángel and Josefa appeared. (It took a while for them to figure out how the stove worked, and meanwhile a concerned neighbor had called the Policía because two suspicious people — us– had been hanging around.) But the evening had a happy ending and we slept well!
We resumed our Camino pilgrimage on September 24 after a rest day. It rained on our rest day and that night. We thought that there might be some mud so both of us wore our water proof/resistant boots. We had another day of up and down but the slopes were not as radical or as many as we experienced on our last walking day. We started late and walked into Cadavedo around 5:00 pm.
We did need our boots. See attached photos of parts of the trail. We had barro (mud), brambles, and beaches as we walked.
We checked into our hotel. No wifi.
We went out to the only restaurant in town and had a variation of the “Pilgrim Menu”. It was filling. There was a great sunset
Tomorrow we walk to Luarca.
What a change! From warm and sunny Rome to cool and damp (one might say, CHILLY) Northern Ireland. But we have been enveloped in the warmth and hospitality of Mary, Ed’s second cousin on his mother’s side, and Mary’s husband Tony. Ed and I first met Mary and Tony in 1989 when Ed’s brother, Bill, the Muldoon…
Our beloved Pope Francis declared 2025 a Jubilee Year of forgiveness, love and joy. So we knew that Rome would be especially crowded with pilgrims… but we were not prepared for the sizes of the crowds we encountered. We visited Rome twice on this trip — once to catch the Ryanair flight to Dubrovnik, and…
To explain why we went to Dubrovnik, go back in your mind to the pre-Covid era. At that time, Ed and I had begun to plan a rail trip to parts of Central Europe (formerly known as Eastern Europe) that we had never visited. Since those plans were quashed by the pandemic, more recently we…
We walked from Muros de Nalon to Soto de Luina today. It was a very difficult walk. It was about 16 – 17 km but it was up and down hills all day long. Most had very steep slopes of 10°, 20°, and some were 30° and more. The path was filled with loose rocks and stones, many roots, leaves and in places, mud (barro). Our legs are really tired. Today was the 6th day in a row that we walked, so we are glad to have a scheduled rest day! Not to mention rain in the forecast…
Our approach to each day is to start around 10:00 am and to walk without stopping for rest until we get to our destination. Today we walked for about 6.25 hours. We carry food and water and stop only to take a drink or get the food out of the backpacks. If we were to stop longer and sit down our joints would stiffen up. Experience tells us that it takes a while to get loose again, so we just don’t stop.
We are almost half way to Santiago. We will walk 5 days in a row starting on Tuesday. Then a day off. Next we walk 4 days and then take a day off. Then we walk for 3 days and walk into Santiago de Campostela on the last day of this Camino.
Today, September 17, we walked to La Isla. Most of the walk was near to the sea and on paths – not on pavement. We have walked for 6 days, about 90 Km, and taken trains or bus or taxi about 45 Km.
We spent our first rest day in Ribadesella yesterday and met our Camino friends Julio and Luz there for dinner. What a great coincidence that they were having a short vacation from their home in Madrid and were in Ribadesella when we arrived. We are looking forward to seeing them again in Madrid in early October.
The paths from Santander has been over hilly terrain and our legs have been tired at the end of each day. After yesterday’s rest day we were in better shape today and our legs seems to be getting used to the daily distances.
Walking today in rural Asturias away from any highways was quiet. We heard the bells from cows and sheep as we passed the farms. We heard birds singing and water running in the streams as we passed. The waves from the Atlantic greeted when we were close to the ocean. It was a quiet, peaceful day.
We think of Mary MacDonald every day as we walk. We are also thinking of all our family and friends. In the peaceful and quiet time we are enjoying we are able to say prayers for all, to remember each one of you, see your faces and think of the good times we have shared.
Life is good on the Camino. No distractions. No rain so far. No significant barro (mud) yet. Good weather.
We will be walking to Oviedo this week. That was a very important place in the history of Spain.
Anne and Ed Blog 