Tag Archives: Ruins

Vietnam: North to South – Part One

Booked only a week before, after my trip to Israel was cancelled last minute, I decided to have my first go at Asia this month. Vietnam was on offer so I went for it and discovered a crazy and unique way of life with amazing food and very friendly people.

Getting there

The travel to Vietnam was very very long, whilst the flight duration may say 16hrs by the time we had travelled to Heathrow, and waited around in Bangkok and then traveled to the hotel we had stacked up over 24 hrs of travel. I had thought I’d planned out to miss my jetlag but it actually took 3 days of waking up at 3am to get over it.

We flew with Thai Airways which had tight seating but plenty of hospitality from the crew and the aeroplane food was some of the best I have had. On arrival to Hanoi airport, our taxi driver was waiting for us and we got to our hotel in about half an hour, after seeing some of the cityscape lit up at night.

Hanoi

We stayed in a hotel for our first few nights in Hanoi city. The hotel was immediately a relief with a welcome drink on arrival, a porter to carry our bags and a free upgrade to a very nice room. It was all going well, until my 3am visit to the bathroom…

That is when I discovered scuttling across the floor, the biggest cockroach I have ever seen. When you are already sat on the toilet half way through a wee too, the only choice is to throw your legs in the air! I found myself doing toilet balances at 3am to avoid it. Unsure what to do I spent the rest of the night with a light on unsure what to do and worried if I fell asleep I would wake up with a cockroach on my face. It took me a few days to get past this fear and just accept the potential for creepy crawlies around me.

Venturing out of the hotel into the city was another experience of taking your life in your hands. The traffic is some of the craziest I have ever seen. There is no pavement due to mopeds being parked all over it and to cross the road you must do what the locals do and just walk slowly and confidently over (like you’re sleepwalking) and hope nothing hits you! The roads here are so congested that they even have a street that is famous for a train that comes through as well as all the pedestrians and bikes and ends up about an inch from your face!

We cautiously took the steps from our hotel down to the famous lake which thankfully is pedestrianised around the edge and began to explore our first attractions.

First on the agenda was a few impressive buddhist temples, and also the St Joseph Cathedral. This gothic cathedral looks so strange with all the little asian shacks around it and motorbikes everywhere. I couldn’t go in unfortunately but I imagined it was similar to other catholic ones I have seen. A little bit of Europe in the middle of this crazy South East Asia whirlwind. I later found out from my guide that the french actually governed Vietnam for centuries and is the reason for some catholism here and that they now use alphabetic letters instead of chinese characters. Something to be grateful for as a tourist!

Another day in Hanoi took us on our four hour bus ride to Halong Bay, the famous world wonder that is an absolutely huge bay and once a very important port full of huge bouldering islands. We had a relaxing overnight boat cruise here where the service was amazing and we enjoyed an impressive selection of seafood and bar service on a boat all to ourselves in our small group of nine.

There are many local caves on the islands to explore and we ventured into one, and then towards dusk I had the pleasure of exploring an empty and calm section of the bay by kayak. The only thing that was man made around me was a small floating pearl farm where oysters were floating below growing pearls for fine jewellrey.

At night all the boats have to gather in one part of the bay so you can enjoy the sounds of distant karaokes and good times from your neighbours all around you.

We also got the opportunity to see some amazing charitable organisations on our route from Halong Bay. Two groups of crafters that were helping their community by making things to sell, one was doing it for the environment and the other for the disabled. I will touch more on this in a later blog.

Back in Hanoi, we had one more opportunity to look around. We tried for a third time to see the train on train street, but this time at night. The train schedules on the internet were all wrong, so we got there badly timed and when we tried to wait the police made us leave, even though we were half way through a paid meal. Overall, I would say only go to train street if you are happy to waste a lot of time and maybe only see the tracks.

Something that was well worth it for only about £6 and 1 hour was the Thang Long water puppet show by the lake. This show was a traditional artform telling folk stories of Vietnam in their language and with singing, using puppets within a big pool of water.

I wasn’t sure if it would be entertaining enough, but it was actually very funny at times and the show somehow managed to use smoke and fireworks on the water aswell which I dont even understand how. The best part may have been the music though. There was an orchestra of local folk musicians playing traditional and strange instruments and all in vietnamese formal wear. Overall it was super impressive!

Hue

Writing this section of the blog at 4am from a twelve hour sleeper train from Hanoi to Hue. Sharing a bunkbed in a room with three other travellers, I feel quite at home and I am enjoying the bumpy swaying of the carriage more than expected.

At night I can see the reflections of the train in nearby waters and marshlands and the odd distant light of a farmer or two working in the fields and by day the scenery becomes many small villages and plenty of rain!

The train has different classes, we are in a 4 berth, but there are 6 berth and then soft reclining seats and hard seats (for those true hardasses – literally). My room is quite good with a little mattress, space under the bed and a table with a selection of sweets.

The only thing that has been a horror is as expected, the bathroom situation. There is either a squat room for guess what.. squatting, or there is a western style toilet. The toilet started off okay but now I can tell you that by 4am it is not okay. Its a horror show. I am trying to figure out how I can not pee now until 11am. Note to self, must purchase a she-wee for travels!

Once we got to Hue and freshened up at our hotel, with an umbrella in hand, we were guided to the ancient citadel. Hue was historically the imperial capital and home of the kings of Vietnam. It still has the 21 metre thick walls surrounding it and many of the original buildings either still exist or have been rebuilt or are in the process of being rebuilt after collapsing from weather or war bomb damage.

The site is very pretty and a bit of a maze to walk around if you do not have a guide. It is mostly an outside visit except for a few locations where you can visit inside after slipping off your travelling shoes. I Particularly enjoyed the king’s gardens with many bonsai trees and bright green foliage. Obviously, due to all the rain, but green is my favourite colour so I’m okay with that!

The stories about the kings were interesting too. Kings were seen as Gods by the people, but for many centuries the kings were actually puppets for the french to put their influence over Vietnam. The kings ranged from 7 year old boys to a man that went from being a king to a french pilot. So random!

Later in the evening I had dinner with a local family that had been there for generations and the lady’s grandfather had been a direct servant of the king. The family now are well off in the area but still cannot afford to travel much and still work very hard. It is becoming apparent how hard people in Vietnam work to make a minimal living.

The next day in Hue, we ventured around the surrounding countryside and the town centre by motorbike. This thrilling experience was one I will never forget I imagine, it was an adreline rush full of beauty and culture. As I rode pillion to a Vietnamese man named (‘kern’) I explored a king’s final resting place, a local fresh market (where it is so fresh that the animals are still alive), and a local monk community. What a thrill!

Next day we move on to the South to Hoi An… in my part 2 blog.

Mendoza: Argentina’s Culinary Capital

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Mendoza is located in the North of Argentina, close to the border of Chile and it’s capital city of Santiago. It is well known for being Argentina’s key wine making region, as well as being a small city with several suburb neighbourhoods. I visited Mendoza for a few days on my way across the North of Argentina.

I travelled to Mendoza from Ushuaia over several days, mainly by bus. My main overnight stop being in Bariloche again, where I enjoyed an unexpected hostel party before my final bus. On arrival to Mendoza, I checked into my hostel, (which was not very desirable), and relaxed quite a bit on my first day, but the humidity of the city did mean that I was eaten alive by mosquitos.

Following my rest, I began to explore. Mendoza is a reasonably small city with many small suburbs and hills surrounding it. The city has plenty of restaurants and shops, and of course several opportunities to taste wine along side Argentina’s famous asado dish. Unfortunately, the city is lacking in other things to do and see. There is a museum dedicated to the city’s foundations, which was somewhat interesting, but it is quite small and with little information in english. Next door, are the ruins of the original church, but the entire experience takes less than an hour.

The other thing to see is the Parque San Martin. This is a huge park which you can relax within, it has a huge lake, and a museum of natural sciences. I did enjoy a pleasant lunch in front of the lake following the one exciting thing there is to do in this city… paragliding!

I decided to ‘tale the leap’ and enjoy a short paragliding experience from the 100 metre cerro (mountain). I thought it would be more scary, but you did not have the chance to get scared, you are simply strapped in and pushed off! Then you can float over the city for 15 minutes, and enjoy some complimentary acrobatics from the pilot, which were fun but almost made me vomit!

As well as paragliding, there are other adventure sports available around Mendoza, for those that do not want to spend their time just drinking and eating. Rapid rafting, repellling, climbing and hiking are all available, and Mendoza provides accessible trips to the tallest mountain in the Americas, Mount Aconcagua. I was happy with the paragliding as my bit of adventure for that time, as I was only there a few days.

I realized that I could not come to Mendoza without visiting the wineries, even though I do not drink much wine normally. There are countless tours selling full day and half day guided tours to the ‘bodegas’ which are the wineries. These were quite pricey, and as I knew this was not very important to me personally, I decided to find a cheaper way to do it. I found out that some of the bodegas offer tours for free, so I made a reservation directly with one of them.

I booked a one hour tour with the Lopez family Bodega in Maipu which is only a 25 minute bus ride from the centre. Down the road from there is also an olive growing farm where you can also access tours directly. So my day became sorted for very little money at all, saving me around £100, and I still got to have the tastings. The winery had giant wooden barrels storing their oldest wines, and a small museum about the history of the bodega, and it was quite interesting to learn a little about the process. Equally, the olive farm was very pleasant, and I learnt that to have a mature olive tree that produces enough olives to be commercial it takes several decades, so they have to be quite dedicated.

Overall, I think Mendoza is a pleasant city and especially well suited to those visitors that like a little luxury and love their wine and grilled meat, but if you are a little more of a commoner like myself, it is best not to visit unless you are prepared to part with a good bit of your cash and have some adventurous activities!

Onwards and upwards. Next I visit Salta!

Camino de Santiago: Vilalba to Santiago de Compostela (FINAL 100km)

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This week was my final 100km to Santiago de Compostela. Many people begin their entire route from here, for me, it was the beginning of the end, of a very long walk.

Now that I am in Galicia, a new language has been introduced again, a subtle change in culture and architecture. It is so interesting to see the subtle changes. The terrain is flatter and now includes many forests, and little services.

The week began great, leaving before sunrise to walk to Vilalba, I enjoyed my first walk in mostly sunshine for many days. I got some brilliant photos, and whilst my foot was sore, I was full of positivity. Especially once I saw the first road sign to Santiago! It finally felt within reach!

I made my way to a cafe, which I found then to be closed, but hung around outside looking sad until the nice spanish lady let me in! She opened up just for me and I had a hot chocolate, and a long conversation in spanish about politics and Galicia. Very good practice.

Before I knew it, I had made it to the hostel. I was all on my own at the hostel, and it was 1km outside of town, so I had an interesting attempt at ordering a delivery. After a long struggle, I finally had my cheeseburger and chocolate brownie, snuggled up in my sleeping bag.

Vilalba is a nice town, with lots of shops and services, a little castle. It would make a good rest day stop, if I had not been so eager to finish!

The walk to Baamonde was very rainy and had many roads, except at the beginning where there was a pretty boardwalk route through a park along the river. It was ‘only’ 22km but a big struggle with an already very sore foot and knees. Thankfully, I had some company in the second half, in the form of a lovely pilgrim from Switzerland. He had already walked 2000km, and was already ready to get to Santiago by now. I love walking alone, but it is nice to have someone else to listen to other than your own thoughts sometimes. Eventually, we made it to our hostel, and enjoyed a lovely dinner together of baby squid again, of course.

Baamonde is a very small place, but it is also the marker point for being 100km from Santiago de Compostela. This makes it a starting point for many people’s journey. For me, it was a beautiful sign that my journey was almost complete.

The next day I had a choice to make. I could do one long day of at least 32km to the next stage, or take another route over two days (doing 15km, then 25km). The guy from Switzerland wanted me to join him for the big hike, but my foot hurt too much. I decided to stick with my plan of long afternoon rests and went with two days. So we went our separate ways, with an agreement to celebrate together in Santiago.

The 15km to the little village of Miraz, turned out to be really enjoyable, despite my pain. The sun came out for me, and I could take lots of breaks as the walk was shorter. I walked with a herd of cows for at least 1km which was a fun experience, and I even came across a house where the owner made his own special pilgrim stamp. I knocked on the door, and he especially came out, lit a fire, melted some wax and stamped my passport.

On arrival to the village, I relaxed, soothed my feet and counted the days to Santiago.

The next day was my last walk over 25km, to Sobrado dos Monxes. The weather was very bad again, and the poncho was on all day. There were very little places to sit and no bars to use as refuge until I was an hour from the end. The landscape was quite different, more boulders and I could sense that I was now very high from sea level, making it much more windy.

I did spend two hours of the walk with three local spanish guys. We chatted in espanol, which was great practice for me. They walk the last 100km of the camino every seven years (on holy years) on the run up to christmas. So, they were fresh to the walk, on their first day, and so much quicker than me, who at this point is limping! I have been limping for about five days now… After a few hours I told them to go ahead of me, so I could take a break. Several hours later I arrived in Sobrado.

I was in a lovely hotel this night that overlooked the monastery in town. There was an option to sleep in the monastery with the monks, but at this point I just needed comfort and a hot bath. It was amazing to lay in hot water and soothe my muscles. The next day I left a bit later so that I could explore the beautiful monastery. I wanted to take the mass but the timings did not work with my schedule. The monastery is beautiful, and I almost missed a massive section of it where the door was out of sight! Thankfully, a nice monk pointed me in the right direction, and we had a good chat. Apparantly, they don’t use the large part of the church for masses anymore, instead it can be used for weddings. Very fancy!

Then by 11am, I was on my 22km walk to Arzua, and on to the home stretch now!

I cannot say anything good about this stretch of the walk. The rain never stopped, and I was in agony. I actually attempted to change my socks (in wet shoes) at one point, and squeezed about a pint of dirty water from them. There were many roads, and little places to rest. When I made it to Arzua, I was relieved and exhausted.

Arzua is quite a big town, and the joining point for the camino del norte with the more popular camino frances. This meant I would finally be able to send my backpack ahead of me for two days. Now that my entire body is sore, this is great news!

The next day started with irritation to get my backpack sent off, and with trying to fight for a chance to use the one plug outlet to charge my phone, that was shared by 40 people.

The rain this day was the worse there has been throughout, plus strong wind. I did not have my backpack though, so I felt light and quick for the first time in months. It was great. Whilst, I was still in pain and very wet, I found myself feeling very grateful, for life. Grateful to have the opportunity to be alive and here.

I also saw many other pilgrims along the way now, and I was able to get some sick satisfaction that I was not suffering the path alone. I can now identify a pilgrim with ease. The key identifiers are:

Backpack and poncho
Obsession with stamps
Hiking boots and poles
Tortured look in eyes
Broken spanish or use of the phrase ‘tanta lluvia’
Sports wear
Dirty and smelly looking
Walking with a limp, we all have the same one.

This day I spent the afternoon walking with a very lost looking 20 year old girl from China. She had only started a few days before, and was not well prepared. She only had a small puffer jacket, trainers,a little bag, no sleeping bag, and an umbrella that consistently turned inside out. She was struggling to find her way, and so I offered to help. We walked through absolute rivers to get to the next stop in Pedrouzo but whilst I was ankle deep in water, all I could do was accept it, laugh and keep singing along.

After one final night in a pilgrim hostel, a very cold damp night, I finally made my last big walk to just outside Santiago, Monte del Gozo.

The walk was a lot drier, only raining half the day. It was also an even mix of walking through woodland and road, which was good for the feet.

The best part, came at the end, when I visited the pilgrim monument overlooking my final destination, Santiago de Compostela. The monument is 600 metres off route on a hill, but worth the view. After this, I took a well deserved rest at a hotel outside the city, and found some much needed moisturiser for my poor feet.

The last part of my pilgrimage came the next morning, with a final 4km walk to the cathedral, and to receive my certificate!

Santiago de Compostela

The outside of the city is modern and industrial, with many neighbourhoods as you would expect. The exciting part is when you arrive in the old part of the city. There are many small plazas, arch covered walkways and historic buildings. I began to see the towers of the cathedral from quite far out, and as I approached it, the streets became more winding and maze like. The closer I got to the cathedral, the more pilgrims I saw, from all over the world, and with all the different gear on their backs or bikes. No one arriving on horseback though!

A large plaza faces the breathtaking cathedral, with three other historic buildings, one of which is a very pricey hotel. I was lucky to arrive when it was not raining, and we were all angling for the best shots. After admiring the outside decoration for a while, I made my way to the Pilgrim’s Mass.

All in spanish, the mass was difficult to follow, but the vibe was still nice, and unexpectedly they swung the Botafumeiro (big incense burner) across the cathedral transcepts, which is a well recognised symbol of the church.

After mass, I spent some time admiring the cathedral, and went a little crazy buying souvenirs. I then wondered around a little and came across another christian building that seemed to be quite intriguing. The monastery of San Martín Pinario, now partially used for a hotel, school, and museum. The main church is actually magnificent! Possibly more impressive in artwork than even the cathedral.

The choir sits behind the main altar, which is unusual, and so you can actually go to the back of the main altarpiece, and admire some amazing fine carpentry. You can also go upstairs and view the church from the galleries where a second choir resides! This was a lovely surprise. There is also an opportunity to look directly at the dome ceiling art. The museum also had some good pieces to admire, and this large attraction was only a few euros.

That night I met up with my new friend from Switzerland for our celebratory dinner, and we toasted to our success in making it to the end. He had arrived a few days before me, and told me where he had been shopping for new clothes. Now that I had walked into the city in literally rags, I decided I needed to prioritise a bit of shopping.

I took a bus from Praza Galicia for only €1 out to a big shopping mall, and spent a long while tracking down the right pair of jeans.. 😍 I don’t know why the Spanish only sell skinny jeans?! I have now walked 828km and these thighs still cannot fit in them! In the end I found some ‘mum style’ ones, a bit embarrassing but oh well. It is good to be back in denim.

After my shopping spree, I decided to make a visit to the Museum of Pilgrimage. This museum is four floors and pilgrims can enter for free. 👍The museum holds a mix of photographic exhibitions, historic artefacts, and paintings. The collections explain the origin of the Camino de Santiago (way of St James), who James was, and how his tomb was discovered in Santiago. The museum also explains how the pilgrimage route has become more popular over the centuries and many pilgrims’ experiences. The other pilgrimages from around the world and different religions are also discussed.

This was very inspiring to me, and I was glad to see that the reasons I chose to walk the journey were echoed by others.

Something else not to be missed at the museum, is going to the top floor. Here, I found up close views of the cathedral towers.

The final thing I did before I went to bed, was visit the cafe casino, opposite my hotel for a little cheesecake. This is a gorgeous building that is now a swanky cafe and even has a grand piano being played, to really make you feel at peace.

Overall, the Camino de Santiago has been a very unique experience. It has been a great opportunity to travel slowly, and see beautiful landscapes, as well as small villages and towns, that you would not likely stop in, if you were travelling to your destination directly. The people I have met, and culture and traditions experienced can never be replaced. I had said that I could never walk so far again, but the more I think about it, the more I think I could be convinced…

Camino de Santiago: Portugalete to Santander

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In my second week of walking, I have done some of the largest distances so far and had some more rest days. The journey has had more flat terrain than the first week, and lots of walking on roads. It has been closer to the sea though, and very beautiful.

Starting in Portugalete, which is just on the outskirts of Bilbao, I walked along highways and resurfaced walkways along the coastline. There was an option to add an extra 14km to the journey by going into the mountain. I decided against that, as I was still recovering from the previous week’s mountains, and the road had great views. There was pedestrian access on the roads (lines painted on the floor) but I did have to take care, and it is not an option I would have been happy with if it had been a darker day.

Whilst walking the route, I left the Basque Country behind, and entered Cantabria. I kept looking behind me at the scenery, and thinking, I cannot believe I walked all this way so far!

On approach to Castro Urdiales, I went through an old mining area. This offered the very cool experience of being able to walk the old mining track, and go through the tunnels! This cut off loads of extra walking, that google maps would have tried to make me do, as it goes through the mountain rather than over or round. Buen Camino app is awesome!

On the other side of a five minute tunnel was Castro Urdiales. It was beautiful! Apparently, this is where the wealthy people that live in Bilbao, come at the weekends. I can see why!

Cantabria’s first official coastal town, Castro Urdiales has a gorgeous harbour area, two beaches, an impressive church, castle, many lookout points, a spectacular cemetery and a natural swimming pool! I wanted to take a dip, but I was too scared of getting in and slipping over or not being able to get out without a travel buddy. Plus it was about 11’c, and I have no swimming costume…

After leaving Castro Urdiales, I walked for about seven hours to Laredo. The walk had a lot of lovely views of the sea, but was mostly road walking. I met a lovely belgium man that was also walking along my way, so we trekked most of the way together, and split the jug of sangria at the end!

Whilst I was in Laredo, I stayed at the convent of Trinitarian nuns. Whilst it was a very cold stay with no radiators and little hot water, my room was very cute, and I had a lovely view over the town. I also had the room to myself, and was invited to join the mass. The nuns played guitar and sang beautifully during the service! The only thing that was disappointing, was that I didn’t get much one to one time with the nuns. I wanted to ask them about it all, as I have often wondered if I would like to be a nun… 🙂 perhaps I could do interpretive dancing in the band?

Laredo is another gorgeous town, and very big. It takes an hour to walk from one end of the beach, to the other! The old town where the convent is, is picturesque, and I even hiked over it to a viewpoint. (I couldn’t stop hiking!) There is also a harbour here and you can take boat excursions, and I took the water taxi across the bay to Santona to keep walking!

The next day, the walk from Laredo was pretty gruelling. After a five minute boat ride, it was 30km of hard road. There were many villages to move through, and lots of rolling hills with farms.

It was all about me and the animals that day. I saw baby donkeys, goats, horses, cows, chickens, a group of kittens, a very angry little dog, and best of all, a Spanish Imperial Eagle! It started following me for a bit. It was the second bird of prey that has circled above me on this journey. I am starting to think that I might be the prey….

In the final hour of the day, my good knee started hurting, and I had to hobble to my pension in Guemas. A very pretty but small village.

The journey has certainly been taking its toll on my joints, and I am trying to be more clever about my walks and preparation. I have problems with my right leg so have fully strapped up this week. The K tape is really helpful at keeping me balanced.

The last 16km to Santander, I got up early and benefited from some crisp morning views of the village. I then walked to the next village, with my knee still hurting from the day before. I had to make a decision, to stay on the road and shortcut through for a shorter journey, or add 4km and walk up to the cliffs and along the ocean. I was sick of the asphalt by now and everyone has said the views of the sea are great, so I went for the long path.

The path was hilly, but also muddy, which was actually a welcomed relief. I walked past farms, and saw beaches and rocky cliff sides. I also met a man who has walked all the way to Rome on pilgrimage. Very impressive! Eventually, the path led to the town and I wondered onto Somo and caught the twenty minute boat ride to Santander.

Santander

I stayed in the pilgrim hostel whilst in Santander for only 12 euros per night. My experience of the hostel is a story of its own!

I arrived at the hostel which is ran by volunteers, and no one was there. I phoned the number and spoke to a man in broken spanish about how to get in. He said no one would be there until later, but I could pick up the keys at the bar down the street. I went to the bar and explained to the bartender I was looking for keys (in spanish). She understood, (I must be improving). I then let myself in, chose my own bed and went to sleep. Later the volunteer came, checked me in, and told me two more guests should be coming that night. He was leaving though, and I was now in charge of the hostel!

He asked me (in spanish) to check them in on arrival, take their passport details and give them their keys! I couldn’t believe it! And then I was alone again. And there laid an opportunity… I finally had a washing machine and dryer all to myself. First order of business, was to check for cameras, then strip down to naked, and wash everything I have! I sat there in a blanket for two hours, and then I finally had all clean clothes for the first time in a month. Wonderful! 😍

Later, when I was dressed again, the man called and said the guests weren’t coming anymore, and I had the whole hostel of 50 bed spaces, to myself! Crazy!

Anyway… back to the actual city. Santander is the capital of Cantabria, and is a coastal city. It has a port which includes bringing visitors over on ferry from Plymouth, it also has a few beaches, a palace, and lots of hills covered in shops, plazas and restaurants.

My rest day in Santander was a rainy one so I decided to stay in the busiest part of the city, close to the hostel. I stocked up more supplies, mainly medical ones, but also some nuts and fruit from the Mercado de Esperanza (market of hope). I got quite a lot of nuts and dried fruit for two euros. I always love to visit the local markets. It seems there are a few different ones in Santander. Another is the Mercado de Este (east market), this has a tourist information point, and lots of little artisan stalls and bars.

Interestingly, below the market is probably one of the best museums that I have ever visited, the Musuem of prehistoric and archeology of Cantabria. This underground museum is reasonably small, but packed with archeological finds from the region. Including human and animal skulls, ancient tools, artwork, and pottery.

I know that can all sound a little boring on its own, but this museum absolutely brings it to life. They have structured the rooms to make you feel as if you are in a cave network, created visual, audible, and touch displays. They have lots of information in different languages, and really make you interact with the exhibits, I thought it was brilliant! And only €4! 😀

My personal favourite was the museum’s use of tech to turn actual skulls into real faces!

After this, I wondered over to the cathedral. It seemed that I had arrived, and I went through a door, but I was in a smaller church. It turned out that I had wondered into the Iglesia del Santismo Cristo. This church is actually underneath the cathedral itself. It has a warm atmosphere, beautiful arches, and two severed heads! These are relics of roman soldiers that were martyrs. Before I knew it, the door was shut behind me and I was in the mass. I just sat down and enjoyed it.

When it was over, I exited the church, climbed further up and found the official cathedral above where I had been. The cathedral interior is quite simple in comparison, and full of charming, light gothic architecture.

After all that, I returned to my lonely hostel, had a sandwich and took a nice long siesta, before heading out for dinner, and to enjoy some live music.

Overall, I think the jury is still out for me on Santander, because I wasn’t able to explore the beaches and palace, and I think the city probably has more of a rounded package in Summer. I did like the city though, and the museum really was a highlight.

I have walked a third of the Camino del Norte now, and my next and last city before Santiago de Conpostela is one week away. I hope my body can keep going! 🤞

Camino de Santiago: San Sebastion to Bilbao

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Last week I spent five days walking the Camino del Norte to Bilbao. The route is full of tough terrain, with mountains and slippery paths throughout. Like my journey… this blog is a long one. Prepare yourself.

Me taking a well earned rest after coming over Mount Avril and finally seeing Bilbao

Basque Country

The area of Spain that this walk goes through is in the Basque region. This historic area sits next to the french border, but has its own culture independent of France and Spain. The people in the basque country are very proud of their heritage. This is made clear through frequent displays of their local flag and colours, multiple museums and exhibitions about basque tradition, and many graffiti pieces asking for independence for the basque people.

The basque people have their own language, which is nothing like spanish or french, it actually predates them. It has lots of Zs, Ks, and Xs, and I can not pronounce any of it.

Many people seem to farm local produce, and animals seem to be a key part of the culture. Everywhere I went on my walk, I was never far from a donkey, goat or horse. This links quite nicely with the area’s great reputation for food.

The basque have their own style of cuisine, and especially well known are pintxos. These are small snacks (the size of canopes), available in bars most of the day. This is useful to know, as you cannot access a main meal during siesta time. The basque clearly love their food. I went to one bar and asked for a menu for some quick lunch, and they just began to bring me out huge dishes one after another… bean/sausage stew… bread… gammon and potatoes… bread…. fruity pudding… fruit. I had to look up the spanish for ‘please stop, I am full’. The chef looked disappointed in me!

The mountain trails

There are so many mountains in this area, and I was really grateful for my walking sticks to help get up them. The paths are a mix of road, track and uneven rocky slopes. The scenery is gorgeous, with lots of screensaver worthy backdrops, and pretty streams and waterfalls. Many mountains have villages (as in three houses), at the top, and small towns in the bottom of the valleys.

I think it is really important to take it slow during the ascents and descents. It is not worth rushing, and hurting yourself by losing your footing or pulling your knee. I started to get a ‘hiker’s knee’ after a few days, and strapped my leg up with K-tape. This really helped, but lots of breaks are also essential.

When heading over a mountain before Lezama I actually met a local lady, who was selling snacks to passing pilgrims from her driveway. For a euro, she gave me mandarins, and a slice of chocolate swiss roll. She also let me sit on her porch and enjoy the views whilst we chatted in Spanish. I really enjoyed this little interaction. The only negative was that she got me excited and told me my destination was only 3km away on flat terrain… it was 8km and not flat at all. I was cursing her a little on my ascent for misleading me! I am past it now though, and all is forgiven.

Mountain maths is very confusing! There were many occasions when I thought I was nearly there but I was not… For example, on one day, the map said I was 4km from my accommodation. I thought, ‘great, I can walk 5km per hour, less than an hour to go’. Nope… it was 2.5 hours walk away, but only 15 minutes by car. I was pissed… and confused. My calculations were not taking into account, the elevation, and terrain. It was 4km, but on the other side of the mountain. Cars could drive through a tunnel going though the mountain. This makes calculating the duration of your walk, really hard. I generally have added at least an hour to each estimate I make.

Forests of autumn colours

The forests I wondered through, were really beautiful because of all the colours. I much prefer the forest floor underfoot (more dry and bouncy, plus kicking big orange leaves is fun!) It was really tranquil and there was the odd shack which I imagine a few pilgrims have made camp in. I have met quite a few people who are camping even in the wet November weather. A highlight for me was seeing a group of vultures flying really close to me on the trail. They probably thought I would be easy pickings!

It hasnt all been sweetness and light…

The rain in the last few days to Bilbao was relentless. The poncho has been out but it is a pain because you need help to put it over your backpack.
The rain has made my socks wet.. equalling blisters. I was managing to avoid them until my shoes started getting too wet.
Some paths are so uneven, that they take ages to navigate carefully. They are also really slippery.
Toilets and other facilities can be very far away at times. This is a positive and a negative, because it is nice to feel in a remote location, but it does lead to wees in the woods. Tricky to do when you have a huge backpack on. Keep leaning forward ladies!

Special highlights on the walk

Seeing the flysch

When I got to Zumaia, I decided to follow a different track for a little bit. I did this so that I could see a special rock formation in the cliffs there called ‘flysch’. It is a type of erosion that creates straight lines in the rocks. Very strange, but cool!

The downside was that to rejoin my path, I had to walk up the cliffside. After lots of rain, it was basically a mudslide, and very scary. I had to be really careful, and it took ages. I would probably not recommend doing this if it has been raining a lot.

Monastery and day of the dead

On part of the trail, you pass through a beautiful monastery. Pilgrims can actually sleep here with the monks for a donation. I didn’t sleep here, but I did take the mass which was lovely and rejuvenating.

I happened to be passing on the day of the dead or all saints day. This is the day after halloween. Whilst some spaniards are starting to trick or treat and do the american halloween, it is mostly not done in Spain. They do celebrate the life of their loved ones though. Many people bring flowers and other offerings to the graves of their loved ones, and the day is a bank holiday.

This did make finding food a bit tricky, as most places were shut. I spent my day eating buttered bread from my backpack.

Guernika

Guernika is a town on the walk that is full of character and clearly proud of the basque culture. It has quite a few monuments related to well known basque figures from history, and two museums. I would have liked to spend another night here, but I had to move on to the next section of the walk. Apparently this town is a stop on many guided tours from Bilbao though, if you want the highlight reel on a quick trip.

Bilbao

Reaching Bilbao was a great milestone for me. I felt soggy and more tired than I was before the walk, but also stronger and more confident. Bilbao is a huge city, with a lot to see but I only had two nights, and the first night, I basically went into a coma.

It poured during my whole visit, but determined, I stuck some carrier bags in my shoes and went out to explore.

Guggenheim museum

The Guggenheim is a landmark attraction for Bilbao, and is what most people think of when they imagine the city. The museum is for contemporary art, and the architecture of the building itself is unique. It is located on the riverside, a little past the centre.

I am not very big on contemporary art, I prefer traditional portrait paintings, but once I reached the museum to see the outside, I was soaked. I wanted to dry off, and I was also curious, so I wondered in, squelching as I went.

The cost for the museum was €15, which I thought was pretty steep, more than I have paid for most attractions on my journey so far.

The building is spectacularly designed, and the rooms inside are huge, with thankfully lots of places to sit. I think the art was lost on me though. I had no idea what I was looking at most of the time. At one point, I saw a canvas that was almost completely black, and thought ‘this seems like easy money’. These thoughts were even more solidified when I saw a big piece of paper that I think had been folded into a paper aeroplane and unfolded again, so now just flattened creases…

I am probably not a good judge of these works to be fair, and there were plenty of people taking their time to look and discuss what they saw. There were two pieces I liked. One of what looked like a mushroom that was coming out of the canvas. That was cool.

One of the reasons that I walked up to the museum in the first place, was to see a giant puppy made of flowers. I was wondering around for 30 minutes following my google maps to try and find it. Getting more and more annoyed as it was raining, and I was confused. I finally realised that the puppy was covered in scaffolding and I had been circling it. Apparently they were swapping out the flowers, so I guess it is wrapped up often, which is a shame.

Casco Viejo (Old Town)

The old town in Bilbao is home to many narrow streets, and the cathedral dedicated to Santiago (St James). Due to this, it turned out that it was free admission for pilgrims 😀 I still paid €2 for an audio guide, which was useful to explain the artwork and architecture. The building is basque gothic, and has three naves which is unusual to me.

I also visited the basilica of Burgos which is on top of the hill up literally hundreds of steps… I walked to the top of these in the rain, then I saw the elevator…🥵😤

I really liked the style in the basilica, and the atmosphere was really calm. I would recommend a visit, on your way into Bilbao, (to avoid going up the steps).

San Juan de Gaztelugatxe

I decided that on the last morning of my stay in Bilbao, I would take a bus (for only €2.50 each way) to Bakio, and walk the steep 30 minute trek to San Juan de Gaztelugatxe. This is unique location, as an island off the coast connected by a stone bridge, and topped with a hermitage building. It is also ‘Dragonstone’ from Game of Thrones. Another one off my GoT list! ✅✅✅

The past week has been tough. I have walked through about 26 villages and towns and walked over at least six mountains with over 10kg on my back. The views have been amazing though and I can feel myself getting stronger! Physically, and mentally.

Now I just need to decide if I should keep walking or take a few more days off. The weather will get wetter and colder, but I am due for some days of flat terrain, which should be a welcome relief. What do you think?

Camino de Santiago: Irun to San Sebastian

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So, this week, I started my long journey to Santiago de Compostela (over 800km) from Irun. I will be walking for as many days as I physically can, and enjoying rest days in cities and some towns a long the way.

The journey to Irun from Zaragoza took a few hours on the train with a change in a town that I could not even pronounce. Most people go to Pamplona for a day first, as it is an easier transport connection and I think in hindsight, perhaps I should have. I had already booked my accommodation and train though, so I didn’t want to alter it. I also just wanted to get started on the walk before the weather turned, and I think it was the right decision, as I had three days of sunshine.

Most people attempt to do the journey from Irun to San Sebastian in one day, but this is about 25km and includes a mountain hike. I decided to start gradually, and split my first stage over two days, with an overnight stay just outside of Lezo.

This was definitely the right decision. The hike was very steep and a shock to the system, after several days sightseeing on flat terrain.

The walk took me up the mountain, with views of the sea and nearby beaches, coupled with traditional small farms, and picturesque houses.

After the lovely views of the mountain and the gruelling walk down, I realised something unfortunate.. The hostel that I booked on the outside of Lezo, was on a major highway. I came to a busy roundabout with no crossing, and was perplexed at what to do. My options were few:

To climb back up the mountain and find another path to town, and then doubleback on myself..
To attempt to cross the highway and potentially be hit by a car at 80kmph.
Hitch-hike and hope someone took pity on me.

I considered my options carefully, and decided the best thing to do was wave someone down, and beg for a lift in my broken spanish.

I waited about 40 minutes and asked three drivers before I found someone that would take me across the motorway. A lady with her teenage daughter and a horse trailer on the back of her truck felt sorry for me and agreed. This was a blessing. I ended up talking in Spanish with them the whole journey to the hostel, and they were very chatty. I also felt like this was a great opportunity to get over any ‘stranger danger’ fears I had.

Once I was at the hostel, I met several men that I was sharing a room with, including many Spaniards and a frenchman that spoke great English too. They were very friendly and the frenchman offered to drive me into the town the next morning, which again was super useful as the motorway was too dangerous to walk. I must make it clear that the motorway is not part of the route, and was a poorly planned detour by me.

So the walk continued on! I had some beautiful towns to wonder through as well as a cute little boat taxi crossing for 90 cents.

On the other side, there was a steep climb through a town when I came across the most craziest and beautiful thing… a set of escalators in the street! I felt a pang of guilt and then I got over it… this took me up three streets and I just thought it was part of the fun really! I have now discovered that many of the large towns and cities in this mountainous area have escalators and elevators to take you up to other streets higher up. There are even elevators that go underground to take you to disguised car parking and public toilets areas. The mountain people know how to live! 😀

More hills, and mountains, and what felt like never ending ascents, and I began to come out through forests. The Autumn colours are in full swing now (late October), and this was really beautiful. There were even historic bridges, and forts hidden in the woods, between the foliage.

By the time I got to the bottom, I really wanted to be there by now. It had been over six hours and my legs hurt. The views could no longer take the pain away… and then I saw it. SAN SEBASTIAN! HALLELUJAH!

I had two nights in San Sebastion, so that I could rest after my first stage. This city is gorgeous, I think this with each new city that I go to, they just get better!

San Sebastian / Donastia

This city on the water, is really huge, and my hostel turned out to be 30 minutes from the seafront 😢 but the atmosphere at the accommodation was good so I got over it.

The city seems to have several elements; a beachfront and promenade, a harbour, busy centre, old town, a castle on a hill, and then outskirts of communities and work places.

I visited the Cathedral and collected my stamp in my special pilgrim passport, and wondered around the city’s edge and old town. The old town is very pretty but quite touristy, and if you venture a little further along to where the market is, it is a little nicer. You can also walk all around the sea walls and what seems to be the old city walls. I would really recommend doing this walk, there are plenty of nice views and benches to sit and just enjoy it.

I had to remind myself that I was supposed to be resting, so after my little stroll, I sat down.. I ate a lovely chocolate brownie, definitely breaking my set budget, and then laid for several hours on the beach. It was the last day of 22’c and sunny, so I am so glad I did this.. even if I had to sit on my laid out trousers as I had nothing else.

In the evening, I decided to become part of the local scenery and continue sitting. So, I took myself to the local cinema, and I watched the new James Bond movie in Spanish. It was an excellent evening.

I really loved San Sebastian, and the pretty towns I went through to get there. It is nice to start slowing down for once, and just enjoy my surroundings.

Cordoba: A city of craftsman

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After an excellent and short train journey from Seville, I arrived in Cordoba. Once the Capital of Islamic Spain, this city is a beautiful mix of styles and culture.

I arrived in the evening and enjoyed the lively atmosphere of the city as it was filled with people bustling to shops and restaurants under the sunset sky. The city actually reminded me a lot of Pisa, the sort of place that is usually seen as a day trip, and is quite suburban, but actually has a lot to offer.

I had a wonder around the city outskirts, and came back around along the riverside. The city’s river is its focal point, and most of the historic area is by the riverside.

The river is also home to the beautiful Roman bridge, which happens to be another Game of Thrones location! It was actually used with CGI to create the bridge to ‘Volaris’, still counts though. Another one off the list. ✅✅✅

Me at roman bridge in Cordoba, another GoT location.

The buildings around the city are also very pretty, and often you can spot silversmiths, leather workshops and tile shops. These have been the ancient crafts of this town for quite sometime, and still are now. If I could carry a tile in my backpack, I would have got one to stick somewhere at home.

The town also boasted an unusual amount of ice cream and cake restaurants. I was struggling at one point to find regular food! I did enjoy my ice cream milkshakes though, as temperature was still around 30’c.

Mesquita Cathedral

The Mesquita (meaning mosque) is what most people visit Cordoba to see. You can see why when you visit. I was excited to see the building but it truly left me speechless, (well other than repeatedly saying ‘WOW!’)

The site was originally home to a roman temple, but later the foundations were used to build a mosque,when Spain was under muslim rule. When the catholics conquered the area, the mosque became a cathedral. The original mineret tower was wrapped around with a christian structure, and much of the mosque internally was maintained as it was so remarkably beautiful. The christians did do three extensions to the building over the time though. This included getting permission from the King to build a traditional catholic chapel inside. Whilst pretty, most people agree that it is very out of place within this beautiful mosque.

Within the mosque, the builders actually reduced costs by recycling columns and pedestals from the previous roman temple, which makes each one unique. The craftsman that provided some of their columns also left their trademark logo and signature on their pieces provided, which can still be seen. I love a bit of ancient graffiti!

I had a guided tour during my visit which was very helpful. The guide provided a lot of detail about the history and showed us what to look for. The entrance area / plaza is actually available for anyone to visit for free. It is only the inside of the temple that is ticketed, and this is limited and to restricted hours.

My tour also included a tour of the jewish quarter and a former synagogue. These are free to see generally. The jewish apparently moved into the centre of the city after the muslims were expelled for a period.

Alcazar Gardens

In my short visit to the city, I also decided to book a visit to the Alcazar there. You must have a reserved time slot, and the website is abit tricky, but just persevere with it! It is only five euros and worthwhile. The Alcazar building itself was quite small and hollowed out, but I went for the gardens. They were lovely…

Full of fountains, flowers, sculptures and impressive topiary, I parked myself on a bench, and sketched the scene in the sunshine for an hour.

Before I knew it, time was up and I had to head to the bus station. Cordoba should definitely be on your list to visit. There is so much culture here, and it has a very friendly feel.

Next stop… Madrid!

Autumn fun in Bury St Edmunds

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In the Autumn of last year we made a day trip to Bury St Edmunds & National Trust property, Ickworth House. The autumn colours were lovely, and I ticked another cathedral off the list!

Bury St Edmunds is a short distance from where I live, so it is a great choice for a day trip. The town is named after St Edmund. Edmund was the King of East Anglia, and was killed by the Vikings in 869, (the detail of which is depicted in art at the Cathedral). He became a saint and a martyr, and was buried at the town. His shrine made Bury St Edmunds popular with pilgrims. Today, the town is a great location for visitors to enjoy, with lots of opportunity for shopping, events and great dining experiences, as well as the below attractions.

St Edmundsbury Cathedral & Abbey

Originally built as a church as part of the wider abbey complex in Bury St Edmunds, the previously called ‘St James’ church didn’t become a cathedral until 1914. It certainly deserves to be a cathedral, from the sheer size of it! You can see the scale of it as it dominates over the rest of the town centre.

On entering the cathedral, you are welcomed by a volunteer (like all quality cathedrals…) and can pick up one of their useful information leaflets which will allow you to have a self guided tour. The cathedral also offers tower tours, I wish that I had done this on the day, and I think I will need to return in order to take advantage of this experience and hopefully see great views.

The cathedral has lots of information and imagery regarding St Edmund, and other big names from local history. There is also a large lego model of the cathedral which you can donate £1 to add a brick. This was quite impressive, and I don’t really like lego, so that means a lot! They have paused the “building work” during the pandemic but you can still put a donation forward online for your brick to be added, and see some photos. Check it out on the cathedral website here.

Next door to the cathedral, are the ruins of the original abbey complex. You can also see the old abbey gates still in tact in front of the road. The abbey was actually in existence before the town, and was used by Benedictine monks. The monks actually designed the town to be in a grid formation to benefit them economically, and the abbey did prove to be one of the richest in the country for some time. The abbey has a history of good and bad fortune over the centuries until eventually in 1539 is was stripped bare during the Dissolution of the Monasteries.

I enjoyed wondering the large area and trying to work out which rooms the different foundations might have belonged to. My partner and I also enjoyed trying to improve our photography skills, as there are so many different shapes and shadows to photograph. The abbey ruins are part of the abbey gardens which is a public park which everyone can enjoy. I thought that it was very nice that the park and ruins were settled into each other, as it means that the community engages with the site regularly. Whilst we were exploring the ruins, we actually came across a community gathering for a Remembrance Day memorial service which was very moving.

Ickworth House

After enjoying the town centre, we made our way to Ickworth House. This National Trust property is on the outskirts of the town, and is a great place for a walk! It is a country house shaped like an observatory (formally it is called a ‘rotunda’), which is quite cool and was originally built in the 18th century. The entire place has an Italian theme to it, and you can really tell this in the look of the building and gardens.

When we visited, the outside of the front of the house was covered in scaffolding which was a shame, but it still looked great at the back, and we could still go inside and see what was once the servant’s quarters and kitchens.

We mainly enjoyed going on a long walk across the parklands, where you can see great views and lots of sheep! We really enjoyed seeing all the autumn colours, and it made some great photographs. This was especially the case when we found a tree that had dramatic roots that were over spilling into the stream (photo below). There are multiple different walking routes available within the huge parkland area, and many of them will take you past key monuments/structures/views, such as St Mary’s church that lies within the estate, and is the oldest part of the grounds.

I think I will definitely make more visits to both the town and Ickworth House in the future, as I really enjoyed myself and it was great to stretch my legs on the walk! If possible, I think I will also try to check out the West Stow Anglo-Saxon Village & Country Park. It is a totally reconstructed early Anglo-Saxon village, and looks like a lot of fun to explore and maybe attend a re-enactment event. They do archery there… I am AWESOME at archery! Obviously I was born in the wrong era.