Day 5 - "Sidre es gasolina!"

Pola de la Rena => Oviedo 33km

San Salvador was coming to an end so quickly but had still felt epic. We packed up our bags at the crack of dawn for the last time. The night before had been a fairly late one, we were treated to some live music in the town square courtesy of the town's fiesta. One benefit of a quiet Camino where only a few people are in the Albergue is that you get given the Albergue keys and there's no curfew, felt a bit naughty coming back after 10pm!

We smashed the first 13km in a couple of hours with the help of some drum and bass on Neil's phone. Then progress slowed after we reached the first bar stop. The region  of Asturias which we are now in is famous for Sidre (Cider) that has be poured into a glass from as great a height as possible. There is great ceremony surrounding the pouring of Sidre and in almost every bar an old man will come up and show you the "proper way" of doing this. Whilst on Camino, 95% of Neil's fluid intake is Alcohol, "mi gasolina" in Scanish. Expecting the last half of the walk to be on the flat through urban sprawl  at two bars we ended up getting through 7 large bottles of Sidre (I probably had one pint out of those bottles). However, after our lunch stop San Salvador threw one more mountain at us and Neil was on the struggle bus. I kept entertained though by his cracking one liners ("That would be a nice photo....if you can be bothered"), we also gushed a little about all things Camino and how they've added to our lives.

We made Oviedo as the Sun was setting. The arrows seemed to disappear but we had the luxury of hundreds of people around to ask directions. Then we were there!

Both of us decided the actual arrival at the Cathedral was an anticlimax as it was closed and we couldn't get our certificate. We also didn't end up seeing the other three Pilgrims we had befriended and they have now carried on to walk to Santiago on the Camino Primitivo. Contact details have been swapped though so we will continue to follow them.

Depite the anticlimax this Camino has been incredible. The scenery was breath taking, the company was very special and I didn't have to go hungry being a vegetarian. Today we got out San Salvadorana certificates and got to see the Cathedral again. In some way it wasn't untill I sat on the fountain in the square with a sketch pad taking in this beautiful Cathedral, thinking back on the memories San Salvador had given me, that I truly felt I'd arrived.

Day 4 - Slippery when wet

Payares => Pola de Lena 25km

Today was rather undulating but mainly downhill with very steep slippery parts. Thankfully the weather remained dry and I managed to stay on my feet.

Neil was well rested so steamed on ahead whilst I lagged behind picking flowers. As much as I have loved doing this Camino I was very sad to miss my very good friend Abi's 30th Birthday so I would like to use this post to send Birthday wishes....

It'll be me soon!

Fingers crossed we arrive in Oviedo tomorrow but it's going to be a long 33km day.

Day 3 - Granny knows best

Poladura de la Tercia => Payares 15km

Yesterday after having showered and written my blog post I still had about three hours to kill untill dinner was served in the nearby bar. I hadn't brought much in the way of entertainment so was over the moon to find a 250 piece jigsaw puzzle. The bar owner did warn me that there may be a few pieces missing and she wasn't wrong...

Over dinner we got to know Pepe (Spanish chap) though a combination of his small amount of English, Neil's Scanish (Scottish Spainish) and my hand gestures and noises.

I had a terrible nights sleep and I also kept Neil awake figetting around in the bunk above him. Then this morning we had drizzle and the poncho came out which I omitted on the last Camino but found the emergency one I donated very useful so packed a proper one this time. 

I was decieved by the knowledge that today was only going to be 15km. The lack of sleep, bars, the hilly terrain and drizzle meant I found today tough. This Camino is a real tease, you appear to be heading into a town but then the route loops off elsewhere and just when you feel you've reached your final ascent, another peak pops into view. We hadn't had any breakfast so when we did reach our highest point I was not in a good place (hangry if you will!) but nothing that couldn't be sorted out by a duet of Labi Siffre's 'Something inside so strong'.

After Lunch (actually it was more a brunch) we had the option of a shorter route along the road or a longer path through woodlands. We were very much rewarded for taking the longer route with fantastic views and even squelching though the ankle deep mud was good fun. Neil had been trying to get me to use one of his walking sticks because parts were very steep and slippy but I told him I wasn't a granny. He got his 'I told you so' moment when I slipped and got a very wet and muddy bum.

On arrival in Payares we saw Sue which is always a very reassuring sight as we know we are in the right place and having arrived much earlier and speaking Spanish she already has the down low on the Albergue and rest of the town. She let us know we needed to book dinner for tonight at the local bar which is where we are heading now. So far so good on the vegetarian front but I have found it best not to ask too many questions about ingredients. What I don't know won't hurt me!

Day 2 - Mushroom with a view

La Robla => Poladura de la Tercia 25km

Felt much fresher today but was nervous as this was going to be the hardest day with a climb that looked pretty much vertical on the relief map. Sue the retired English Nurse made us so coffee and we still had apples and chocolate covered churros from yesterday for a little breakfast.

We were able to see the mountains we were heading for yesterday, looming ahead of us like Mordor. The first part of today was a very gentle climb so I used the opportunity for some mental preparation by playing Neil the theme tune from Psycho as we walked towards the large jagged peaks.

It must have worked because we both found today not half as bad we were expecting. We were both sweating like Michael Jackson at a ... (I'll leave it to you to imagine how Neil finished this sentence) but perhaps the stunning scenery kept our minds off the exertion. There was also wild flowers and all sorts of different mushrooms dotted around  everywhere. If I had mushroom identifying skills I would have liked to have picked the mushrooms for a tasty wild mushroom soup but I've heard too many horror stories. I was reading only last week that the author of the 'Horse Whisperer' put his whole family into renal failure by picking the wrong mushrooms and now they're all waiting for new kidneys. I Wouldn't want to do that to my fellow pilgrims.

All in all a very beautiful day with lots of natural loveliness to look at.

Day 1 - Through the kaleidoscope

Leon -> La Robla 27km

The journey to Leon yesterday went smoothly. Except we had to spend a few hours in Oviedo (our Camino end point) as this was where we caught a train to Leon. I tried to keep my eyes half shut and only look straight ahead for fear of ruining my arrival there next week. Dinner in Leon was cheese and beer.

We started late by pilgrim standards, getting going by 9am. The route started in the square in front of the luxurious Parador hotel (where Michael Sheen and co stayed in the film "The Way"). An American Pilgrim very helpfully told us there was a deal on at the moment and we could have stayed there for €40 (doh!).

Because this is such a quiet Camino I am very worried about getting lost but so far the route has been well marked. We took a while to get out of the city but then we found ourselves crossing undulating terrain in the sunshine as a kaleidoscope of butterflies flitted around us (there's a pub quiz answer to 'what is the collective noun for butterflies?').

Places to stop for coffee/Cervezas/bocadillos were thin on the ground, we had a 20km stretch with no bars cafes. Luckily I had my bag of nuts and we passed an orchard were some kindly old villagers let us take as many apples as we liked (I'll have six of those,  gracias)

There is four of us staying at this Albergue (pilgrim hostel). An English retired Nurse (yay Nurse chat! ) who lives in Spain so very usefully translated our arrival instructions (no supermarkets for miles and miles now!). Then there is a Spanish man who I've said hello to but that is STILL pretty much as far as my Spanish goes.

**CAMINO SAN SALVADOR**

Hello Blog followers!  I've missed you!

After finishing the Camino Frances I felt all warm and fuzzy with no plans to walk another Camino, because it just wouldn't be the same.... but now I can't stop walking!

Tomorrow I'll be starting the Camino San Salvador. This is an off shoot of the Frances (that I did in March) starting in Leon and hopefully taking 5 days to walk 120km north to Oviedo. I'll be walking with Neil (first Pilgrim I met on the Frances as I stepped out of Biarritz airport full of nerves!). From what I've read this one is going to be hilly and beautiful. Also a bit quieter so I'm going to have to be really nice to Neil as he may be my only companion and has more of an idea of where we're going.

Since last Camino I have found myself frequently in outdoor equipment shops getting all dizzy and excited. The most significant of my purchases has been a bigger bag. This has meant I bought lots more with me this time and my bag is much heavier. My sleeping bag is bigger as I had a few sleepless cold nights last time. I've also decided to stop using the "I only deal with cancer" excuse when people find out I'm a nurse and have bought a small first aid kit for all who come to me expecting some very basic medical care.

An additional challenge this time round is my conversion to vegetarianism. This is a problem for two reasons. One, Spain is not quite as veggie friendly as the UK and two, being surrounded by Chorizo may cause me to crack. I've packed a bit big of nuts just incase I stuggle to find non-meat protein.

On the bus to the airport now with butterflies in my tummy. Feels like a real homecoming to have my boots on, a shell on my backpack and keeping all you lovely people updated on my adventures.

What now...?!

Here I am just over a week later in my "normal" life. I already feel like another holiday! Luckily I do have another week off... ummm... next week(!)

What has 29 days of walking across Spain done to me? Well, I certainly have a few more friends who I hope to stay in touch with and modern technology is facilitating this so far. I lost three lbs in weight (the equivalent to a big poo I guess) and my feet are a little more calloused. My tan is slowly fading. I can speak a little more German and a very very small amount of Spanish.

I'm afraid after all that time to think I didn't come to any dramatic conclusions about life, the universe and everything (we all knew it was 42 anyway). I perhaps became a little more agnostic though. Ever since I decided to walk the Camino everything just fell nicely into place and worked for the good. Maybe this was a divine being or maybe this was an attitude somehow instilled in me which saw the good in every situation. Whatever the reason I certainly want to stick some of this in my post Camino life.

You might be wondering how I managed to get from South-West France to North-East Spain without getting lost. The answer is thousands of yellow arrows. In fact I feel a little strange that these are no longer my daily guide and am tempted to spray paint a few on my route to work. Following yellow arrows and listening to 'Over the Rainbow' on my phone a couple of times got me thinking of the Wizard of Oz. Just like Dorothy and her friends many pilgrims on the Camino are searching for something but don't always find it in the way they expect. I guess I didn't know exactly what I was seaching for but the character that most sprung to mind was the Lion who was looking for courage. Two years ago I started my first Nursing job in a Critical Care Unit (CCU) and had to deal with being inexperienced and lacking in knowledge compared to my collegues. My confidence definitely took a big hit and led struggles at work. Although I had gained more confidence by the time I left CCU just before the Camino, completing Camino has given me another real boost. Back in November I made up my mind to walk the Camino and five months later I got to Santiago and have the certificate to prove it. Although Camino has a unique atmosphere of open friendliness I was pleased to be able to converse with so many complete strangers who soon came to feel like family.

Finally I want to go back to some Grafitti on the wall in Jesus' house (Day 19) and the family and friend's I had before Camino.

My housemate actually quoted this to me when I was talking about "finding myself" before I left. This hits the nail on the head but I would switch the word 'place' for 'relationships' (if that isn't too cheesy!). Even before going on Camino I was really touched by the interest and support family and friends gave me (I was especially glad of some step-father, step-daughter bonding). Then whilst I was away I was overwhelmed by how many people followed the blog and all the lovely messages I received. I am super jammy with all the wonderful people I have in my life and after walking to Santiago I can see that now.

So what now? I would like to finsh with a quote from Scottish Neil (the Camino personified)...

'Don't stop walking'