Camino de Santiago de Compostela

[Klaske]

Last spring I did the part from Seville to Salamanca, this year I hope to finish .
For my blog(in Dutch, use the google translator) and many photographs see http://klaskedejong.web-log.nl/oppad/20 ... a-p-1.html

[KiwiNomad06]

What beautiful photos Klaske. They will be a great inspiration to anyone thinking of walking this route!
Margaret

[Klaske]

Thank you Margaret. I did have a quick look at your photographs of le chemin du Puy, I walked from le Puy to Santiago before and loved it. Looking at your photo's many good memories came back to me. I long to continue the Via the la Plata this spring.
Klaske

[MaryC963]

Beautiful! I couldn't read the words but the pictures spoke plenty. Not sure where this route is. I am planning on cycling the Porto to Santiago/Muxia route this summer. I have a feeling those beautiful flowers will be long gone by then! I cycled the Camino Frances in 2004 and am so looking forward to a return adventure.

[eli]

Yes, I agree Mary. Couldn't understand the words but the photos are beautifully evocative. Thankyou for sharing.

I will be there (in Seville) in 8 weeks and greatly looking forward to this new camino experience. I first heard about it from 2 kiwis I met in Astorga in the last holy year. Poor boys. They were in shock from having hit the relative madness of the Camino Frances after weeks of the then very quiet Via de la Plata. And it was quite busy, busy, busy!! And rather surreal even to those of us that had walked from St Jean. Especially after Sarria. I seem to recall spanish teenage girls walking in their bikinis and hopping onto an organised coach at the end of each days section to be returned the following day to continue!! Why waste an opportunity for a beautiful tan!? One boy had a boom box on his shoulders instead of a backpack, pumping out the musical accompaniment. All amusing memories now but sometimes annoying at the time, especially as I was hobbling along with severe tendonitis in both my heels.

Looking forward to creating new camino memories. Whatever they may be.

[alexwalker]

Klaske,

Thank you for posting it: Very inspirational!

I am in long-term planning mode for VdlP spring 2011, and blogs such as yours are a big help. Too bad it is written in Dutch, but I took the liberty of running your blog through Google Translate for English text, and it came out pretty good, so now more people can read it too:

http://translate.google.no/translate?hl ... a-p-1.html

Will now enjoy reading it as well

PS: Google's translation is not perfect, but the meaning of the text is not hard to understand. DS.

[Klaske]

Hello Alex

Thanks for posting the translation. With this people can understand the text, even though the translation is not quite correct and the grammar may be bad.
Greetings Klaske

[peregrina2000]

Hi, Alex,
As the technological idiot on the forum, I feel compelled to point out that when I click on the link in your post, I bring up a blank page. Do you have any suggestions about what I am doing wrong? Thanks, Laurie

[lynnejohn]

Laurie, mine came up blank too - I just refreshed a couple of times and it came up!

lynne

[eli]

I'm now starting in Merida (not Seville) after Easter Sunday service in order to have a chance at realistically finishing in SdC on 4th May. Is the bus / train system from Madrid Airport to Merida fairly straightforward / regular. I'd be coming into Merida on Thursady (1 April) so not a public holiday and spend a couple of days there to get over jet lag before starting. Alternatively, I can go to Seville instead and then its public transport up to Merida Saturday to start walking on Sunday. I think I'd prefer the second so as to get credentials in Seville and spend a couple of days in that beautiful city before starting. Has anyone done this? Or have any recommendations with transport / accommodation? I'd love to hear

[alexwalker]

Laurie dear,

I have always said that there are no stupid questions, but many stupid answers.... Obviously you're not able to read the translation for some reason.

try what lynne did: Refreshing a few times. I have tested my link a couple of times and it works.

And yes, Klaske, the grammar et all may seem strange and even funny at times, but with good will, it is perfectly understandable. It was great fun to read your (translated) blog: Much appreciated that you took the time to write it!

Just a tip: If you want to translate something (a website/page), go here:

http://translate.google.com/#

and follow instructions (that may be the solution for you, Laurie: In addition, you will learn a new useful trick ). Google's pretty good, though not perfect: But the meaning of foreign-language sites, after translated, is most often understood, if you put good will into it.

[peregrina2000]

Success! Many thanks.

[hel&scott]

Good luck with finishing this amazing walk, we did it in 2008 from Seville to Finisterre (via Camino Sanbrés) and while considerably longer then the Camino Francés we found it much more pleasurable. Pics of this trip are on our blog below if you are interested.

http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Spain/ ... 38225.html

[RestlessRose]

Beautiful photos, Klaske. I too will have to translate to read your blog and am looking forward to it. I have taken the liberty to bookmark it for my reference. I will be planning for a 2011 spring walk and have yet to decide if it will be del Norte or vdlp.

Good luck in your coming walk this spring.

Buen camino
Rebecca

[Anniesantiago]

These photos are spectacular! Thank you so much!

I tried walking this route last summer, but gave up after 8 days because of extreme heat and no water.

Your photos inspire me to try this route again in Spring or Fall.

Thanks!

[Klaske]

Annie , last year I also met people, who had to give up the first time, but reached Santiago the second time. If I were you, I would chose spring, so many flowers on the Via. I look forward to starting in Salamanca 19 april for the second half. I recon it will be cold still, but I like that so much more than heat.
Buen Camino , Klaske

[FreerangerMartin]

I am at present at Merida, on the way from Seville as far as Salamanca only - the other half next year. http://rangefree.blogspot.com/ is the link to my blog. I haven't found it possible to post at every stop.
It's a great Camino! Martin

[alexwalker]

Martin,

Thank you for the link to your blog: It is now bookmarked, and I'm reading up. Credit: Your writing is very interesting and humorous; I like your style and tone, and it is a good inspiration for my own planning of next year's walk (the whole way). Please post as often as you can: I will follow you with great interest

Buen Camino

[eze]

Hello to you all,

In case you can read french, have a look to our web site http://www.stjacques.fr. Via de la Plata tab.
We walked from Sevilla to Salamanca from March 6th 2010.

Bonne lecture !

[Canuck]

Bonne lecture !

Merci beaucoup! Intéresssant! Quels bons souvenirs.

Jean-Marc

[gittiharre]

Klaske I love your pics, was it a hard walk to do? I would love to walk this route, but am a bit nervous about long distances without accommodation. Is it safe for a woman alone do you think? Gitti

[Klaske]

Klaske I love your pics, was it a hard walk to do? I would love to walk this route, but am a bit nervous about long distances without accommodation. Is it safe for a woman alone do you think? Gitti

Hallo Githarre

it is perfectly safe to walk alone as woman. I just returned of the second part and never felt unsafe at all. There is more and more accomodation coming, if you want to know, where the albergues are, look at this site http://caminodesantiago.consumer.es/los ... -la-plata/ and http://caminodesantiago.consumer.es/los ... /sanabres/

There are also hostals though. So usually it is not necessary to walk more than 25 kilometers.
In a few weeks I will post the rest of my report about the via the la plata on the web. For a quick impression, have a look at http://klaskedejong.web-log.nl/oppad/20 ... temmi.html

With kind regards , Klaske

[gittiharre]

Thank you so much for your reply Klaske, great news. I will seriously look into this, Gitti

[Klaske]

For recent photograps of the second part or the Via de la Plata have a look at my blog. I walked from Salamanca to Santiago this month.
http://klaskedejong.web-log.nl/oppad/20 ... la-pl.html

[andy.d]

Thank you Klaske. Very beautiful photos. It was interesting for me to see the differences in the seasons from when I walked this section last October,

Andy