Second video in a series documenting our experiences hiking the Camino Frances in July 2022.
Category Archives: Camino de Santago
Camino Finisterre: The End of the World
Here is the link to my YouTube playlist which consists of three videos culminating our Camino experience as we tackled the Camino Finisterre. Buen Camino!
This was my first experience editing with Final Cut Pro and I see many YouTube tutorials in my future. Experience with Imovie was helpful but I have a long ways to go to be considered proficient in Final Cut Pro. Audio voice-overs were recorded with a H1N1 recorder.
The tiny, lightweight DJI Pocket 2 is a great travel camera. I brought along the ND filters but didn’t use them as I stuck to auto settings since the lens wouldn’t go in the case when I shut the camera off with a filter on. The filters were also too fiddly when switching back and forth for quick shots and I was afraid of losing or damaging them. Oh well, another time.
Much to my dismay, the filters seem to have been lost in transit so I guess there won’t be another time. Oh, well… things happen.
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Hope Around the Globe
This young Korean man was photographed walking the Camino de Santiago for world peace.
This will forever be one of my favorite images as I continue to have hope for future generations.
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Walking for Fun
Whatever life may send your way – make the best of it. Don’t waste your time and energy worrying about it. Instead, find a way to do something about it. ~Les Brown
Here I am at St. Jean Pied de Port, near the border of France and Spain, ready to hike the Camino Frances across northern Spain! Too bad Spain is going into another lock down and won’t let me in with my USA passport. Darn Covid! Disappointing, to say the least, but all is not lost. I can virtually walk the Camino Frances thanks to the website walking4fun.com. Sign up, log your steps and trace your progress on one of 26 trails spanning 12,488 miles! Explore your trek through maps, photos and videos. Before you know it, you’ll have walked hundreds of miles and still be itching to get in a few more to see that view around the next bend in the trail! Signing up is easy and free!
Here is my route and current location. Looks like I’d better hop on the treadmill or get outside if I ever want to complete the trail!
I wonder if virtual blisters are a thing?
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Take a Hike
Winter arrived way too early in Minnesota this year and we are still in the midst of a pandemic. I guess I’ll just have to rely on one of the many lessons learned while hiking… embrace the suck.
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Portuguese Camino Day 12 ~ The race is on.
I find joy in living day to day, not in the future.
August 17, 2018 | 26.5 kilometers | Pontevedra to Caldas de Reis
Apparently, we missed a huge celebration during the night and as we leave our hostel a little after 5 a.m. we find a young man slumped over a table. This larger facility has a security system, so this sleepy young man most likely found himself locked out of the building after partying. Oh well…
The groups of men huddled together near alleyways (especially near the ATM machine) bring our guard up a notch. Leaving town poses to be challenging in the dark, but friendly, young revelers help us out with directions to the river, so we find our way to cross the long bridge. An older gentleman on his early morning walk is also kind enough to give us a detailed city map and directions.
Why the early start? It appears no beds are available to reserve in our destination of Caldas de Reis, so we opt to race for the 50 beds at the Municipal Albergue. Excitement fills the air as we count out backpacks in line and discover we made the cut-off…46, 47, 48! The crowd of fellow pilgrims cheer along with us, Yay, Minnesota! We wait until the 1 p.m. opening and continue to stand in line as each pilgrim is slowly checked in. As we get closer to the building entrance we are able to chat with friends already checked in as they leave to shower at the city pool since the albergue showers are dirty. I overhear others leaving to go to the drug store to purchase bed bug spray. No big deal… at least it’s a bed and we’ll survive. We get within 4 people and discover they only have a total of 42 beds (per small hand written sign in door) and we are turned away.
Luckily, an assertive (Irishman that lives in Italy?) man with excellent Spanish speaking skills takes on the role of advocate for all of us waiting in line. The albergue employees say they can do nothing as there are no beds available in the whole town, so we all must start walking the 10 kilometers to the next town, (Even though it is now mid-afternoon.) Our spokesperson continues to argue and scolds them for not cutting off the line of pilgrims hours earlier to allow time for those of us without beds to walk on. He insists the community must attempt to accommodate this overflow of pilgrims and proceeds to call the police, churches and hospital to no avail. Not one to give up, he continues to plead his (our) case. Like a true Camino miracle, affordable beds a short walk away and just a few Euros more than the public albergue magically become available. Yes, the Camino provides…
Our Camino Angel advocate is still very upset with the municipal albergue and the unprepared, unresponsive community, so he continues walking down the road. I hope he finds a bed.
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Camino Portuguese Day 11: Camino Angel in the Night
Thursday, August 16, 2018 | Cesantes to Pontevedra |
19.6 kilometers
Albergue included breakfast for a fee so arrangements had been made for an early start to try and beat the afternoon heat. The number of pilgrims has increased substantially since Tui, so the odds of scoring beds, especially bottom bunks, appear to be slim to none in Pontevedra. Thus, we have a reservation at a hostal across the street from the public albergue. No worries today.
A large grocery store is within walking distance so the evening meal consists of lettuce salads and pizza washed down with wine, all consumed in our cozy little room.
Absolutely no available beds to be found in the next destination of Caldas de Reis so it’s early to bed ~ tomorrow will be an epic bed race for the 50 municipal albergue beds listed in the Brierley book. Can we do it?
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Camino Portuguese Day 10 ~ Buen Camino
Wednesday, August 15, 2018
O Porrino to Cesantes, Spain
16.1 kilometers
“You need special shoes for hiking—and a bit of a special soul as well.” ~Terri Guillemets
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Camino Portuguese Day 9 ~ Welcome to Spain!
Tuesday, August 14, 2018: Excitement fills the air as we make our way from Portugal to Spain. The albergue in Pedreira was kind enough to pack a breakfast for us the night before since we are leaving well before sunrise.
We arrive at our destination city, Porrino, and proceed to get lost. Oh, well… we wanted to complete some extra credit hiking today, anyway, to cross over the 30 kilometer mark.
Senda Sur, Porrino, was a great albergue with super bunks, nice showers/bathrooms. The small kitchenette facilities were quite basic, but all we need is a way to heat water for instant coffee in the morning and we’re happy!
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Camino Portuguese Day 8 ~ Old Roman Road
Monday, August 13, 2018|Rubiaes-Pedreiro, Portugal|12 kilometers
The number of pilgrims is putting pressure on the bed supply so there is no room at the inn if we walk to Valenca or Tui. We opt for a short day and reserve a bed in a bunk house at Quinta de Camino in Pereira. Too early to check in so we order a little snack…
The long, dark, narrow bunkhouse reminds me of a railroad car, so I kind of expected it to start moving.
Nice hotel rooms are close by and we enjoy visiting with a delightful Brazilian/Netherlands couple on a working vacation, along with their daughter, and two young German men. I take the night off from taking photos/videos and now I’m kicking myself!
A short video of Day 8:
RJMeyerArts 