Day 3 Portomarin to Palas De Rei

Let's talk about...NOCTURNAL LEG CRAMPS! Apparently it's NOT just pregnant women who can get this...unless we're in for a surprise after Christmas! After I booked in to my accommodation at 2pm I showered and got a hand wash onto the line. I then laid down and elevated my legs for about 30 minutes...all good. But 30 minutes later it felt like every muscle (yes I said muscle....stop laughing) in both my legs had been filled with concrete (and not in a way Dwane "The Rock" Johnson would be boasting about....but in a way Gerry "Stoneleg" Kane is not very familiar with!

Was I panicked? Are the bathroom rituals of bears known about?

The only thing I could think to do was to run into the shower and get some COLD water on them (there was zero running involved BTW...hobbled is a better word). But....one minute later I was better. Then after Mass (no English...so Spanish again) and food and taking in my washing I went to sleep. Two hours later the cramps were back again...so back into cold shower....took a few minutes longer...but eventually it worked. So at the time of writing this (4;04am) all good. Looked up causes YouTube last night and I think it's a combination of overuse and not being hydrated enough. So onto today!

The fist "main" village (and in all cases these are tiny...a few houses and maybe a hostel or somewhere to eat) is about 10km away. Looks like again the early part of the day will be uphill (but not as steep as yesterday) and the rest of the day (another 15km) is "gently rolling hills" we'll see).

A quick word before I set out about the "types" of people I see on the trail. Firstly EVERYONE is walking ONE WAY. The only people you occasionally see coming the opposite way are locals. Other than that you are (in my case at least) having people pass you. At this time of the year...the vast majority of people who passed me yesterday were young Spaniards. Late teens/early 20s. But also older people (again mainly Spanish, but I heard German, American and a few Irish and Italian accents too). There are two types of people who do this (trackers and pilgrims) your reasons for doing this are very different as you need to walk your own Camino (actually I have seen a number of cyclists and what looked like a father and a young teenage son on two magnificent horses complete with horse paniers!).

At the Pilgrims Mass in the towns the majority of people there are under 30.

Today's walk was needless to say- tireing. I left at 5am so by the time of first breakfast (maybe 9k - coffee and crossaint) ordered in the dark and left as the sun was rising. What I've really noticed is that because you can only see the limited vison that your head torch is giving you...you can't see the reality of the hills in front of you...so it's less scary. It also lovely and cool (far from "cold" maybe 15°c but shaded).

I meet my first pilgrims of the day about 90 minutes in. They were planning on doing 40km today! He was from South Africa and this was his 5th Camino.She was from Texas and as soon as she said it I said that my first "meet" yesterday was with the person she had started out the journey with! That's the small world of the Camino!  But when he first meet me he said (now we are in the dark in a Galecian woods) "you are Patrick" it wasn't a question. I thought "oh you know Paddy, Irish" etc. And I asked him to say that again....and again he said it as a STATEMENT. Well you could have knocked me over with a feather (in fairness with the state of my body...that would have been easy). So, as you may or may not know back in May I finally tracked down my original birth cert...registered as PATRICK JOSEPH. I told them my story. We spoke for about a kilometre and she had said how supportive her husband had been, and I said...same here. "Would your wife have liked to do this?' she asked. I said "she's not that foolish."..but her disability and her recent recovery would have made it difficult. As we parted he held back with me to say he had lost his wife to cancer only a few months ago...they had walked the previous Caminos together, and he wanted to do this one in her memory and then expore other new geographical adventures. It was quite an emotional encounter (not at the time...but as I thought about it during the day)

Stopped for lunch at 9:17am Potato Omelette (cold sliced slab...that's an Omelette over here!) It was beautiful!,

Today was a longer distance than yesterday...and there was a large (by "hill stroll" srandards) overall incline of just over 1000m. Draining, because it's relentless...very very few "flat" parts today. Last stop was about 6km out of my final destination for today. Coffee and a slice of Tarta de Santiago (not a clue...but it was sweet and tasty).

My kmph at this stage of the day are close to 20 minutes per km. But I don't care...it's just another day closer to Santiago De Compostella.

I slept for about 2 hours after getting my room...Pilgrims Mass and dinner...and another early start in the morning...as I realise I have about 28km to do to get to my accommodation tomorrow!!!

Once again I am keeping you in my thoughts and prayers...and thank you all so much for keeping me in yours.

Day 2 Sarria to Portomarin

Early to bed last night (that is my planned pattern over the coming days) has the downside of waking at 3am (naturally)  6 to 7 hours sleep is normally enough for me. My plan is to begin walking at around 6am each day to avoid as much of the heat, and to be able to break my day into two decent hikes of about 12km.

Last night I got my first Pilgrim Stamp in my "Credintial" (a Pilgrims Passport that you get filled in with stamps each day you are on the Camino (and twice a day in these last 100km). These stamps are unique to each establishment (churches, hotels, hostels, bars, restaurants etc). My host last night was so careful to ensure my first stamp was crisp and clear!

The first section today is a very steep climb in the town of Sarria itself, and the majority of the first half of today is uphill...meaning the second half will be downhill. 

So part 2 of my day I discovered that the "downhill" parts where infrequent BUT a steep killer on the tootsies! The last one is so steep (just before you arrive in Portomarin) they WARN YOU about in in the guidebooks. There was one man doing in backwards (it's about 1.5km) how he didn't trip up is beyond me...but he was wearing knee supports...so I assume this was easier for him.

I was in the dark (with headtorch) gor the first 2 or 3 hours. About 3km in my first human meeting (I met plenty of docile and bored cats and dogs). We walked and talked for a. few km and then we pulled apart as there was no way I could keep up even their slow pace. That's the beauty of the Way...no one expects you to walk at their pace, and no offence is taken or given when you part. 

Arrived at Portomarin around 1:30 after two short breaks, the first at about 10:30 at a donation. Food is set out in covered containers like see thru bread bins!

It is FREE just make a donation. Some of the Albergeques (pilgrim hostels) are run on this basis. If you cannot pay the polite thing is to offer to help in the kitchen or assist with the cleaning.

The rest of the day I am set to do some washing, get some dinner and (apparently) Pilgrim Mass in English (so much for me trying to learn some of the Spanish responses at 3am this morning!)

Tomorrow is the longest day I think (26km) but the gradients look a little better.

I meant to say Sarria is about the size (population) of Enniscorthy (but the lack of statues of 1798 is the main difference...and no Dunnes Stores).

Portomarin is 1/10th that size).

Still holding you all and your intentions with me ever single step.

(ps I am aware of some glaring spelling/grammar mistakes in these posts, and I fix them all when I get back)

Day 1 (Ballindoney to Sarria)

A common question I get asked when I tell people I'm undertaking the Camino "so where do you start from?' There are MANY routes (or Ways) in Spainish, "Caminos" to get to Santiago de Compostella, to the supposed shine holding the remains of the apostle James (Son of Zebadee). Traditionally in Medieval times, great Catherals like Canterbury in England and Notre Dame in Paris were "starting points", but truly the pilgrimage begins when you leave home.

When I left at 1:30am this morning, Noreen was leaning out the window saying how beautiful the stars were. We said when we first moved into our new home with almost no "light bleed" into the night sky, that we would never tire of that majestic sight.

I got quite emotional as I could see the Milky Way right above where Noreen was. I was going to follow an ancient path to the Compostella (the Field of Stars). 

My emotion was short lived, as I switched on the engine and realised I had forgotten my phone! Needless to say Noreen had already spotted this and by the time I got to the door she had it in her hand!

Less than two hours later l was going through security at Dublin Airport...Madrid...I'm on my way!

OK...so arrived in a very sunny and 31°c Madrid....longest queue I've ever seen at a passport control....but in fairness it was moving...20 minutes later....I picked up my rucksack (my biggest concern of this whole trip was that would not arrive).

First Challenge of the day! Getting to my train station in Madrid from the airport!

As usual Gerry jumps on the train everyone else is getting on...it genuinely could have been headed for Kilkenny. Realised looking at Google Maps that I was probably a few stops away in the opposite direction after about 25 minutes. Managed to remove myself at the next stop and changed lines. Arrived with plenty of time to spare. Had my first Cafe Con Letche while waiting and feeling very bohemian! Video call check in with Noreen and now on board the train to Sarria. Feels very odd having to board a train where your luggage is checked (like in an airport) and you're security wanded!

Although there is no "set" starting point, all routes require you to walk a consecutive 100km (or 200km on bike/horseback) to obtain your certificate of completion (also called a "Compostella"). The route I am walking is the most popular called the Camino Frances. About half of all pilgrims walk this. "Traditionally" it starts on the French side of the Pyrenees in a small Basque town called St Jean Pier la Port. Crossing the mountains on Day 1 and going on via Pamploma, Burgos and Leon.

This is almost 900km and people do it in 30-40 days. About HALF of those pilgrims however begin their journey in SARRIA which is about 114km from Santiago de Compostella. One day I would dearly love to do "the long one" but this, I hope, will satisfy an itch I have had since a Spanish work colleague told me about in many years ago (Marcelino if you are reading this...you gave a lot to answer for).

Arrived safely at my lodgings for tonight...spotless! Just back from a quick scan of the route for the morning and was fortunate to catch a Pilgrims Mass that was just starting...didn't understand a word of it...but its amazing how the cadences of peoples voices in ritual is the same in any language.About 100 of us crammed into a small church...finished off with a quick bite to eat..and now bed beckons.

Thank you all for your kind wishes...and