- Time of past OR future Camino
- Roncesvalles-SdC Apr-Jun 2015
Roncesvalles-Sarria Sep-Oct 2017
C. Frances sections Apr-Jun 2019
Wow, yes! We really did!
Two years ago my mother and I started planning to walk the Camino Francés. We initially planned to go in September 2014, but 10 days before we were due to leave I had a doctor's appointment which led to a diagnosis of endometrial cancer and the need for major surgery (I've mentioned this before on the Forum). So tickets were canceled and surgery was had (along with 2 months off work), with a delayed Camino my major goal, planning for an April departure instead. My recovery was good, although both of us had various other issues through our planning period including Achilles tendinitis (me) and a broken vertebra (my mother). But we persevered and on April 16th we set off from Roncesvalles.
We started with very short days and although we increased our distances a bit we never did manage long stages. We found we walked quite slowly (me especially, mainly due to my Achilles issues and my feet being quite sore after a few km) and our average was only around 12km a day. We had planned a long-ish timeframe but realized after a while that at the pace we were going we would run out of time. It was important to us to get to Santiago so we made the decision to get a train from Burgos to Leon. Not what we had wanted to do, but we would not have reached Santiago otherwise.
Apart from the slowness we were doing pretty well until just before Trabadelo when my mother fell and landed on some fallen branches, bruising her leg badly. She limped on and we actually made it to our destination for that day (Vega) but after that decided the leg needed a few days rest. So we took the next few days by taxi, still staying where we had planned, and starting to walk again just before Sarria. Since then we've plodded along, slow but sure, and finally arrived in Santiago yesterday after staying the previous night in Lavacolla. It was a pretty overwhelming and emotional experience to arrive at last! We went to the Pilgrims Office and were given our final stamp and Compostelas, and were in time to get to the Pilgrims Mass.
The Camino has been an amazing experience for us. The people we have met, the wonderful scenery and all the Spring flowers, the food and all the very different places we have stayed - it will take a while to process it all. We went back again to the Pilgrims Mass today, heard our destination and country of origin called out, saw the botafumeiro swing (yay!) and got just as much if not more from the experience as yesterday. We're going to stay in Santiago for a few days to rest and have some quiet time, before we set off for home.
This Forum has been an invaluable source of advice, encouragement and information, both during the planning stages and during our Camino. Thank you all so much.
And we made it to Santiago! We're really, truly here!!!
EDIT: I must also just add that we had the most amazing weather! Despite it being Spring we hardly had more than an hour of drizzle the entire way. Very pleased not to have to contend with mud!
Two years ago my mother and I started planning to walk the Camino Francés. We initially planned to go in September 2014, but 10 days before we were due to leave I had a doctor's appointment which led to a diagnosis of endometrial cancer and the need for major surgery (I've mentioned this before on the Forum). So tickets were canceled and surgery was had (along with 2 months off work), with a delayed Camino my major goal, planning for an April departure instead. My recovery was good, although both of us had various other issues through our planning period including Achilles tendinitis (me) and a broken vertebra (my mother). But we persevered and on April 16th we set off from Roncesvalles.
We started with very short days and although we increased our distances a bit we never did manage long stages. We found we walked quite slowly (me especially, mainly due to my Achilles issues and my feet being quite sore after a few km) and our average was only around 12km a day. We had planned a long-ish timeframe but realized after a while that at the pace we were going we would run out of time. It was important to us to get to Santiago so we made the decision to get a train from Burgos to Leon. Not what we had wanted to do, but we would not have reached Santiago otherwise.
Apart from the slowness we were doing pretty well until just before Trabadelo when my mother fell and landed on some fallen branches, bruising her leg badly. She limped on and we actually made it to our destination for that day (Vega) but after that decided the leg needed a few days rest. So we took the next few days by taxi, still staying where we had planned, and starting to walk again just before Sarria. Since then we've plodded along, slow but sure, and finally arrived in Santiago yesterday after staying the previous night in Lavacolla. It was a pretty overwhelming and emotional experience to arrive at last! We went to the Pilgrims Office and were given our final stamp and Compostelas, and were in time to get to the Pilgrims Mass.
The Camino has been an amazing experience for us. The people we have met, the wonderful scenery and all the Spring flowers, the food and all the very different places we have stayed - it will take a while to process it all. We went back again to the Pilgrims Mass today, heard our destination and country of origin called out, saw the botafumeiro swing (yay!) and got just as much if not more from the experience as yesterday. We're going to stay in Santiago for a few days to rest and have some quiet time, before we set off for home.
This Forum has been an invaluable source of advice, encouragement and information, both during the planning stages and during our Camino. Thank you all so much.
And we made it to Santiago! We're really, truly here!!!
EDIT: I must also just add that we had the most amazing weather! Despite it being Spring we hardly had more than an hour of drizzle the entire way. Very pleased not to have to contend with mud!
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