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You can lose everything, but nobody will take away what you saw and what you experienced...
............ 
Oct 19, 2018 08:00 PM Hola, Barcelona!!!
My low cost flight landed on time in Barcelona El
Prat Airport. Now the problem: how to get on a cheap to the cruise terminal? OK - I took the city hus 46 to Plaza Espana - 2.20 euro payable to the driver. 35 min drive. Then I decided to walk. -You want to walk, it is far? - the guy from tourist office was so surprised. -After Camino de Santiago any distance less then 15 kms will not impress me!
There are nice fountains working on the way - see picture....
It took me 1 hour to the Europa Bridge. And from the bridge I already saw my old ship - Zenith. 15 min later I was already checking-in!
The ship is very old, but small and cozy. From the deck there was a great view of Barcelona when we were departing at sunset...
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Oct 18, 2018 08:00 PM Santiago de Compostela
I do not beat any records and the certificates are not important to me, but since the Compostela is free I decided to go through the procedure so let you know how does it work :) First of all they changed their office - it is now on the Carretas street, below the Reyes Catholicos Hotel. I went there with my "credential booklet" full of stamps collected on Camino. The line was long - I was waiting more than an hour to be at the desk. They do not smile there!. The young man said that on the route I should stamp credencial in two different places every day! I didn't! The credencial issuing French guy in Saint Jean did not say that... -At least one of your non-stop walking stretches must be 7 days long! I showed him that, but he was still unhappy. Finally I got my Compostella - certificate of completion of pilgrimage. It is A4 size and it is in latin ( !) - see the picture.
I think that they should organise public relations training for this stuff - also to make them writing nicely (it is still pre-computer era here).
Rest of the day I spent attending the mass for pilgrims in the cathedral (free entry!) and strolling the narrow streets of the old town. The best panorama of old Santiago is from Alameda Gardens!
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Oct 17, 2018 08:00 PM Bugs in the hostel, but no rain at all...
At 3 am I woke up in my hostel bed with the feeling that something bites me. Oh, God! I was forced to go to the living room, to spend the rest of the night there.
They want the guest to leave the hostel at 8 am - in October it ia still dark... I was waiting till 9 to start the walk. Inicially it was a nice path in the eucalyptus forest. Up and up... Than down again. The last stage of my camino walk (20 kms +) was sweaty! After village of Lavacolla (rather contemporary church here) the signs of the camino became dirty, rare and sometimes faded. Shame! In San Marcos village there is a bus stop of the city bus no 6... I did not see it... Then I passed the buildings of the local TV, camping and about one kilometer further on I reached tge pilgrim's monument on Mount Gozo - see picture. This place disappointed me. I expected finally to see Santiago de Compostela down in the valley. Nothing like this! From Mt Gozo you can hardly see the towers of the cathedral down on the horizon. It was still 5 kms walk downhill to the city and onward to the old town. I reached the cathedral square - the final point of Camino de Santiago at 3 pm! The big pilgrimage is done! Thanks God it was not raining whole day...
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Oct 16, 2018 08:00 PM Eremita of Santa Irene...
Why the locals wake up in the hostel at 6 am and start the walk on the camino in the dark at 6.30? In October the daylight is on here around 8 am. Then I start my walk - I want to enjoy the landscape and to see faces of the people passing by. Are they just making kilometers?
Okay, byt today I was already on the trail at 8.15. Why? Because in the today' s weather forecast was written that there will be a rain in the afternoon...
It was a nice walk through the eucalyptus forests. Only few segments of the trail were paralel to the road. Road crossing, well signed, are still dangerous because local drivers do not slow down...
In the mid of the day I reached very old stone chapel of Santa Irene, with the water spring just above of it. I was reading, that there is nice baroque altar inside, but sorry - the chapel was locked...
Next village - A Rua was picturesque with many stone houses and branches of vine on them.
Now I am already in my hostel in O Pedrouzo. It is raining outside. From here it is only like 4 hours walk to Santiago de Compostella. Tomorrow my pilgrimage on Camino de Santiago will be completed :)
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Oct 15, 2018 08:00 PM Friends from Camino...
Since the town of Sarria I see much more pilgrims on the trail. That's probably because Sarria lies 100 kms from Santiago the Compostela and it is required to walk at least 100 kms to get the certificate of the pilgrimage.... :) Every day on the trail I meet new friends. Two days ago -Anna from Slovenia. Yesterday - David and his wife from Oklahoma. Two days ago also young ladies from Korea and Japan (see picture) - by coincidence yesterday we were sleeping in the same dorm in the hostel.
It was long day today... But sunny! At the moment I am already in the town of Arzua - resting in the Albergue de Selmo. It is funny hostel - for 10 euro you have here a box in the big hall, imitating thanks to the courtain a single room. I hope it will be silence in this property at night :)
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Oct 14, 2018 08:00 PM One more day on Camino
I spent the night in the nice hostel A Fontana de Luxo. The substancial buffet breakfast was included. Worth to recommend! It was raining like yesterday when I started long (25 kms) walk through the mountains to Palas de Rei. Imagine me covered by waterproof poncho climbing on the path. Yes, you are protected from the water, but after half an hour you are sweaty inside your poncho. And the path goes up and up... Thanks to the internet tools you know in advance today's route parameters: first 400 m up. then 300m down.
Fortunately after 1,5 hours of my walk the rain stopped giving me a chance to enjoy panoramas - probably the best one from Castromaior. Then little villages with albergues, little churches and stone crosses.
Few hundreds pilgrims was walking today the camino.
We were well tired when we reached Palas de Rei. But no more rain! :)
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Oct 13, 2018 08:00 PM Rain, rain, rain... evening sun!
It was raining already in the night... I was waiting till 9.30 am for the weather improvement... No change... So it was a time to put my waterproof poncho on me and on the backpack and... go.
It is not that pleasure if you walk wet, slippery trail and the views are reduced by the low clouds...
In the afternoon I reached little town of Portomarin, located just near the high bridge. In the past the township was located some 100 m below, then they started to build the dam and all monuments were dismounted and taken 100 m up. Now Portomarin looks vere neat. I stay on the other side of the river in the nice Fontana Luxo hostel - the first one where breakfast is included - but they charge as much as 15 euro per bed in the dormitory (in other places 10-12). It is so far 5 of us in the dorm and we enyoy in the evening a nice sun. Why not during the day?
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Oct 12, 2018 08:00 PM The hike along Sarria river
Morning in Samos - bells are ringing every quarter, also in the night, but this creates the special atmosphere - no other place like this on Caino, I think. The monks charge 5 euro for the guided tour of Samos Monastery. I paid and go. There are two big courtyards, enormous church ad on the second floor the frescos galery with the restored historic paintings.
Then I started to hike down along the Sarria river. But the path most of the time goes far from the meandring river, climbig the hills in the oak and chestnut forest, crossing miniature, stone villages with little churches and chapels. On the trail I met todays guys from South Korea and charming Sophia from Buenos Aires. I reached town of Sarria at 3 pm - just to see that it is already another world: big, modern houses, street cafés, herds of cars in the streets...
When somebody will ask me to point the most rewarding, most authentic part of the camino, I will say: Vilafranca to Sarria. So far I liked it most!
It is sill 120 kms ahead of me - see picture! :)
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Oct 11, 2018 08:00 PM Through the mountains to Samos Monastery
Heavy wind all the night did not allow me to sleep well. First stage of today's hike was a path down to Triacastella. The village is nothing special with one church, but the is a little shop to buy food. At thd end of the village the pilgrims have two choices - one is to go directly to Sarria.
Second choice - much longer way goes also to Sarria but via Monastery of Samos. I made the second choice.
After Triacastella senda - the pilgrims path inicially goes along the road (like1,5 km) then climbes through the picruresque oak ferests and pastures. Twice I was passing through the little stone villages with old chapels - San Martino was one of them. This was for me the walnut day - there were walnut trees in the few points ad walnuts on the path asking to pick them :)
On approach to Samos Valley there is on the path great view point: leaving the forest you unexpectedly see the monastery down, in front of you - this is the award for the hard walk up and down.
Te Benidictine Monertery of Samos is huge. The settlement around - very tiny and remote. I the outside wall of the monastery there is albergo donativo - hostel for pilgrims run by the pilgrims where for the overnight in the huge dormitory you pay as much as you want - even one euro is acceptable... No working wi-fi in Samos today - so remote area...
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Oct 10, 2018 08:00 PM To Galicia in the rain...
First serious rain during this voyage. I cannot wait, who knows when it will stop? Fortunately I took with me a kind of waterproof poncho. And I go... Today I crossed the border between Castilia & Leon an Galicia. It was fantastic place: O Cebreiro pass on Camino Santiago, more than 1300 m high offers fantastic panoramas to both sides of the border. O Cebreiro itself is a tiny village made of stone with little church and few tourist shelters. Rain stopped here so I was continuing walk on camino through the little villages, forests untill 6.30 in the evening... Nice, but very tiring day!
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