our navigation is like the rocks we walked over – but if you persevere i’m sure some of the stories will amuse – not least day 2!

Unfortunately to get there you have to scroll down the page and click previous entries – apologies – it could take as long to read this stuff as to walk the route – there’s some good research for those contemplating the walk but mostly its just straightforward hysteria!

you guessed it – www.westhw.wordpress.com is the brother and sister site for shorter Scottish walks. Much easier and as we get older much more comfortable. The training regime was identical, 4 pies and a pint of lager. The smoker ran out of puff going up the first wee hill – no problem though by the end. We had an easy walk from Drymen to milngavie, party at the McCorkindale’s and we even got to see the bairn. Read on if you want to know about the Camino Frances de Sanitiago de Compostela.

Santiago We lit a few for people – hope we got everyone – The Santiago de Compostela Cathedral candles burn quite bright on film!.

You have to go back three pages of posts (click previous entries at the bottom of the page) to find the candidates for the top meals on the camino – this is what we wrote back then..

“Tonight in Villamangos we gave it a major thumbs up.
Los Arcos clutches its gold

But Silver and bronze is still being fought out by

Mansilla de las Mulas 6.8 euro
Atapuerca
Sahagun 57 euro in hostal – Si’s was good
Templairos
Navarette
Carrion de los Condes
Villamangos

Made the semi-final

Hontanas
Fromista
Roncesvalles
Puente la Reina
Estrella
Removed from the Roster

Never made the qualifying standard

Redecilla – the worst by a stretch
Zubiri – I was taught how to eat it was that chewy!
 

Too much fun to eat

Pamplona
Logrono
Burgos
Leon”

So what’s new since then. We had to classify;

 Astorga, a la carte, bad choice of fish which had been cooked in vinegar, not good 35 euro too

Foncebadon (top wine), a local vintage of which the hopitalero was very proud, the food was good too and we gave it a silver.

Ponferrrade, we did tapas but the horsemen told us it was commended!

Trabadelo, too tired to taste the wine meant an alcohol free day and an impatience to get the bill and off to bed  meant we forgot what we ate. Truth is we ate it. 18 euro was the bill so semi final.

O’Cebriero, Si and the large white bait, commonly know as small trout. We liked this but the wine was as bad, as the trabedelo had smelt. Same price, same medal for the wine, but the food was good, so all in a semi finalist.

Triacastela, two choices here as we stoked the fires for the future. We might have chosen the wrong starter as the locals had the patatas and veg which was called something else, not the juedas verdes we were used to. Brilliant meal though so definitely in the final. That was lunch, dinner was equally good although the slab of meat was the same size as my boots and was a major test for the new eating habits I’d been learning.

Sarria, this was a lunch. It was excellent and we were going back for the same again at tea time but this time the rugby wasn’t  on so they lost a star. The service at lunchtime was superb again. As usual in Spain there is one person waiting on 40 tables and somehow managing to get all the drinks and orders correctly. She was fantastic and we gave her a big tip, get an assistant, so Simon helped her all afternoon! This is a finalist for the whole atmosphere, very like Palas de Rei.

Portomarin, again a lunch, a 1 1/2 hour extragavanza in the middle of our longest walking day, some 48 kilometres by the time we reached Palas de rei. It was fantastic. I’d gone for Soup starter which was served in the usual fashion. “Here’s a big terrine with a ladel, help yourself.”  I got 5 bowls as Simon watched me dig in for the last 4 waiting for the moment when I would normally say – “want the rest?”, except I didn’t. The Lomo followed as did the pudding and a wee coffee. This was up there for sustenance, service and quality. We didn’t have the wine as we were walking so cant recommend the drink, but the water was good and the price was the usual. Under 20 euro including the kerry oot of water.

Palas de Rei was the hunt for Red October. We had the red mist descending on our red faces from the overlong walk and waited from 8.15 – 8.20 at a restaurant while the world seemed to want a table and there were none. We left in search of another place and went down to the Albergue where a small restaurant was attached. Again a wait but not so long. We took a table that had just been vacated and within 5 minutes our order had been taken, drink had arrived and our order had been re-ordered as the chef had earlier seen a run on the pork. Francois had told us, its a good sign when places run out, it means they dont have 5 week meat in the bottom drawer to sell you, important if your stomach is like Al’s not Si’s. The food was great, so was the drink, the company was good too considering this was the start of where we encountered the english language at every  turn.

Arzua another finalist. This was possibly the best food since Los Arcos. We lapped it up and put it in the final. The hostal in the centre of town just where the road splits to go downhill. Well worth stopping at.

Finally Santiago de Compostela. Its a bit of a cheat as Santiago has many attempts at it. Well, as it transpires, I wouldn’t go back there for the food. Tapas the first night was ok but very expensive. The second night Simon had a fantastic plate of chops for 18euro and a plate of Calimari for 12 euro while I had the set meal which was, well, not so good. Spend enough cash the foods great, but not a finalist for me.

So the Verdict

Los Arcos wins the rosette

Navarette

Portomarin joint with Arzua

Its a long way 500 miles. Its an even longer time without the news. That’s what makes it all the more amusing or confusing when you hear it. I’d always been taught to think globally act locally, which is lucky as I’ve never been in a position to act globally, but I have been looking out to see who decided to install the slot machines to replace the candles. I’m not sure if it was Health and Safety, the EU or a throw back to the Spanish Civil War.

We met few people who’d discuss the Spanish Civil war with us but we knew it was all around us and had left more than an emotional scar. Monuments, art works etc are a reminder but it is a rarely discussed subject as families were often split down the middle. The one clear thought we left with related to their fearsome pride at the autonomous region status they held.

So what news on the wires prompts today’s topic. The two factions have reformed this time the roles are reversed. The Pope has decided to do a mass beatification of 489 martyrs who were dedicated to the word of God and of Franco whilst co-incidentally the Socialistas have been busy preparing legislation which will ban the celebration of the fascist dictator on the grounds that they dont like what he represented, oh and the mass murder his troops committed.

It looks like a mission for Nelson Mandela as we should respect both lots of dead and remember that war is a terrible thing, but I dont think that’s on the agenda.

We know nothing really but it hits the spot on many different levels, especially if you want to start a debate.

You could argue for example its down to a battle of the purse strings. There are huge state subsidies for the upkeep of churches and monuments to Franco, some are upset that a socialist government can be funding a celebration of someone responsible for murdering their ancestors, never mind the readings of Marx.

On the other hand commemoration of the dead and those who gave their life to God is a standard thing for religions to pursue and they do celebrate those who have done well for them in the past.

On this note I must just take my leave as news, just in, about the monkey situation in Delhi is still causing concern. As a venerated lot these monkeys are kind of running amok, and one of the latest incidents had a monkey dropping a plant pot on the head of the gentleman passing below. He died which aint so good but to be fair the monkeys are not generally malicious, I think it was the colour of shirt he was wearing that bugged them.

The picture below (to be added this evening)  is of the candles we lit at the Cathedral in Santiago de Compostela.

This was a big part of the trip, for me it was the primary reason.

Over the length of the walk, whether by miles or hours, you give up a lot of your time to your reflections by thinking of the many people’s brothers and sisters, children, mums, dads, grannies, grandads, cousins, uncles, aunties and all the workmates, friends and family.

We wont go into all the names but there were a lot of candles. I mean, one person’s brother is another one’s son, is another one’s uncle is another one’s friend, cousin, workmate. It can keep you thinking for a long time.

After 500 miles its a fitting end to the trip. When we got the letter from CHAS today thanking you all for sponsoring us – it reminded me.

Are made of this…..and who am I to diasgree, we have after all, travelled the world of the Camino….and now

We’re home in our own beds. Simon in his and me in mine. No snoring – well that was the theory.

Clean clothes, I’m not known for my sartorial elegance but I do like my rags to smell clean.

No queues for the bathroom. Hmmn, maybe not, I’ll exchange stories with the Big Fella later..

Today seems a reasonable day to say thank you for being our 4000th visitor to the blog, that seems like a lot of hits.

We’ll continue to update this as there are a number of gaps, the full photo album and the ever squirming expressions of gratitude for all those who have donated money to CHAS. There are a number of pledges due to come in after pay day in a fortnight, but for now

Thanks – TSB today anyone?

Well actually – we haven’t – for ages – that’s the point.

This taxi to the airport is so disorientating. He doing 5 minute walks in 20 seconds.

Makes your head spin faster than his wheels.

It took us 3 hours in the baking heat on tuesday and this boy’s done it in 18 minutes.

Big tip!

Brilliant band. They wrote “Thank you”, I should’ve mentioned it before but whoever sent the text – there’s the answer.