We’ve been in Santiago de Compostela since about 11am. We squeezed in getting our Compostelas, eating a big breakfast, and checking in before making the 12:00pm Pilgrim mass in the cathedral.
And… we got to see the botafumeiro swing one more time!! It’s definitely a special way to end your Camino, if you’re lucky enough to see it swing. ❤️
I mostly just watched it swing. I didn’t want my phone to take away from the experience of watching it.
Prior to our arrival, we saw all of our favourite landmarks. Including Patrick, the dancing star, and the Santiago de Compostela sign.
The one thing I had yet to see, after two previous Camino Frances walks, was the statue of the two pilgrims on the hill looking off toward the cathedral. Today, I made it a point to see them!
That’s our 2025 Camino Frances Camino de Santiago walk. Tomorrow, we’ll take a bus to Muxia and Finisterre to see the end of the world. One day, I hope to walk from St. Jean Pied de Port to Muxia and Finisterre. It is my dream. But, for now, the bus will have to do. I am SO EXCITED!
Thanks for following along on our journey. I hope you got some helpful tips. And I hope you’re inspired to do your own Camino one day. Buen Camino!!
If you’ve found this post helpful and would like to support this page, you can do so by buying me a coffee!KevinCraig-BuyMeACoffee
While you’re here, I wrote a novel set on the Camino Frances route. You can check it out at Amazon here: THE CAMINO CLUB
Today we left San Martin del Camino before sunrise. We only had to use our headlamp for a few minutes after we left town. After that, it quickly lightened up and we were on our way.
The day went by so fast! We left at 7:13am. By 10:13, we had 13.65km under our belts. That’s just over 4.5km an hour. I can live with that. Not a hare, but not a tortoise.
Before we get that far, though… it’s TIP TIME!
Do not leave Hospital de Órbigo without stopping for a cafe con leche and some sustenance!! There is nothing after that (as of this writing) for quite some time. We thought we would wait a few more minutes and find something up ahead. We did NOT. I believe we were more than 15km in before we reached something. It was not a typical Camino stop.
This Repsol gas station was an absolute oasis in the desert for us! If you don’t stop in Hospital de Órbigo, you will have this option. You have to cross a busy highway, but it will be well worth your Frogger adventure! Inside, at the back corner, there is a tiny cafeteria. The cafe con leche was great, as were the sandwiches and donuts. The Camino provides!
Now… let’s go back to Hospital de Órbigo for a second. Because I need to mention the incredible bridge there.
This stone bridge was built in the 13th century. It’s about 200 meters long, with twenty arches.
Don Suero de Quiñones, IT IS SAID, fell in love with a maiden in the 15th century. She did not feel the same way(this begs the question… are all men creeps?). He donned an iron collar as a kind of display of his unrequited love. (Cue Bryan Ferry’s SLAVE TO LOVE here, if you must.)
Then, as I suppose he wasn’t getting the reaction from his fair maiden that he expected, he decided to have jousting competitions on the bridge. This was in the early to mid 1400s. He gave himself the goal of winning 300 lances. He didn’t get these lances. Not even with the help of friends. There was something about him being a nuisance holding up traffic on the bridge and what not. So they stopped the nonsense and sent him on his way to Santiago de Compostela. Ah, another pilgrimage story.
Michael crossing the bridge in Hospital de Orbigo.
This story was the creative spark Cervantes used to write his epic Don Quixote. Look for the knights choker in Santiago de Compostela. You may find it in the museum.
If you believe this story of- actually what is it? The first stalker story? Definitely not a love story–a love crazed knight, I have a doozy to tell you about a hanged boy who lived and two cooked chickens that got up and danced. Also a Camino de Santiago story. 😉
The famous thirsty pilgrim fountain just before Astorga.Here’s the last insult before arriving in Astorga. A necessary one, but an insult all the same. This stair contraption takes pilgrims up over the train tracks. It is a long slog filled with elevations and declines. So. Much. Fun.
We arrived at our albergue, the gorgeous Albergue Só Por Hoje, at 1:07pm. Seven minutes after check in! Yes! I highly recommend this albergue. It is now one of my favourite! We had the Pilgrim Meal here and it was delicious! The room was beautiful and the owner, Patricia, walked the Camino. This was immediately apparent when I entered the Camino. Everything about the albergue was pure perfection. So much thought put into it… the attention to detail was flawless. And… she wrote a book about her own journey.
Tomorrow we head to Foncebadón! I love this little oasis. Tiny and ancient and beautiful. It’s a nice place to rest prior to our journey to Cruz de Ferro.
Today we visited the Gaudi Palace. Last time we went through Astorga we did not go inside. Big mistake. It’s stunning. Second chances are pure perfection.
This was a great birthday!
This is 59, folks! So glad I made it!!
GO TO THE PALACE… you’ll love it!
That’s all for today. Except for today’s Camino step count…
I’m always up for doing the Time Warp again. I can’t count how many times I’ve watched The Rocky Horror Picture Show. It’s frightening that I know every line from a movie.
But that’s not what this post is about. I’m obsessed with something else just as much, if not more, than I’m obsessed with that fascinating cult movie from my youth. We’ll talk about the Roxy Theatre here in Toronto, and how they played The Rocky Horror Picture Show every week from 1976 to 1983 some other time. (-:
Let’s do the Camino de Santiago again!
Today’s post is about our upcoming pilgrimage! We have marked our calendar for September, 2025! That’s when we’ll make our way back to the Camino de Santiago in Spain!
A photo from 2019 and the first of our two shared arrivals in Plaza del Obradoiro…and the cathedral at the end of the Camino de Santiago. This was my second of three arrivals. In 2014 I did the walk with a group.
This time, we’ll begin our walk in LEON!
Tuesday, Sept 9th-Leave Toronto
START
END
KM
Wednesday, Sept 10th
Madrid
Madrid
Thursday, Sept 11th
Madrid
Leon
Friday, Sept 12th
Leon
San Martin del Camino
22
Saturday, Sept 13th
San Martin del Camino
Astorga
26
Sunday, Sept 14th
Astorga
Foncebadon
26
Monday, Sept 15th
Foncebadon
Ponferrada
27
Tuesday, Sept 16th
Ponferrada
Villafranca del Bierzo
28
Wednesday, Sept 17th
Villafranca del Bierzo
O Cebreiro
28
Thursday, Sept 18th
O Cebreiro
Triacastela
21
Friday, Sept 19th
Triacastela
Sarria
18
Saturday, Sept 20th
Sarria
Portomarin
22
Sunday, Sept 21st
Portomarin
Palas de Rei
28
Monday, Sept 22nd
Palas de Rei
Arzua
28
Tuesday, Sept 23rd
Arzua
Amenal
22
Wednesday, Sept 24th
Amenal
Santiago de Compostela
16
Thursday, Sept 25th
Bus trip to Finistere
Friday, Sept 26th
Santiago de Compostela
Madrid
Saturday, Sept 27th
Madrid
Toronto
There’s the whole schedule of our walk!
Michael, walking up the hill after leaving Portomarin, Spain, in 2019.
This time, I plan to draft a guide book of sorts. We’ll see how it goes. I think the world might actually need more guide books for those who don’t plan to walk the entire Camino. Not everybody can get the time off work needed to walk the entire Camino Frances from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port to Santiago de Compostela. I’m going with the thought in my head to take notes and create something out of the experience. We’ll see if it materializes or not. Once you’re out there, putting one foot in front of the other, it’s easy to forget about taking notes. At the very least, I will document our journey here on my blog. I’ll have the intention…stay tuned!
Our arrival at the 100km mile marker just past Sarria, in September, 2019.
Have you picked up my novel set on the Camino Frances? Here’s a link to THE CAMINO CLUB:
KEVIN CRAIG 