LIVE from the Camino Post Camino wanderings - where to?

[trecile]

I arrived in Santiago today, and will start walking to Finisterre and Muxia tomorrow. After that I'll have a week to ten days free before my flight home from Madrid. I was thinking about Sevilla/Granada, but not in 40c heat! I've previously spent a couple if weeks in Barcelona, and several days in Madrid after last year's Camino. So I'd like to go somewhere new. It doesn't have to be Spain, but nowhere too far. And of course transportation costs are a consideration. I wouldn't mind spending a few days relaxing on a beach somewhere.

 

[Kanga]

@trecile we just loved Porto, and Lisbon. So easy (and cheap) to get to from SDC, great beaches nearby, fabulous food, lovely people.

 

[Bradypus]

A combination of slow but scenic FEVE train journeys and a few interesting stops along the north coast? A Coruna is a lovely town with a big beach. I love the food and the cider in Asturias. You could visit Bilbao to see the Guggenheim museum if you feel very energetic. An evening of food and drink in one of the huge Basque sidrerias would be fun too.

 

[natefaith]

Congrats @trecile!

I second La Coruña and Porto, and if you can get to Lisbon, it's beautiful as well. And San Sebastián/ Vitoria/ Santander/ Bilbao - the north has several medium-sized towns. If you're up for braving the heat, Cádiz and Gibraltar are worth seeing. Gibraltar is a hoot!

Enjoy whatever you decide.
Faith

 

[peregrina2000]

I arrived in Santiago today, and will start walking to Finisterre and Muxia tomorrow. After that I'll have a week to ten days free before my flight home from Madrid. I was thinking about Sevilla/Granada, but not in 40c heat! I've previously spent a couple if weeks in Barcelona, and several days in Madrid after last year's Camino. So I'd like to go somewhere new. It doesn't have to be Spain, but nowhere too far. And of course transportation costs are a consideration. I wouldn't mind spending a few days relaxing on a beach somewhere.

Felicidades, trecile, on having finished this year's camino! On the route to Finesterre/Muxia, I HIGHLY recommend the new albergue in Vilaserio, Casa Vella, it is so so nice.

Time for some R&R -- If the weather is nice up north, you could consider a couple days walking on the glorious coastal trails in Asturias. They are frequently near but not on the Camino and there are a couple of places where you combine beach relaxing and coastal walking. I compiled a list of all the coastal alternatives I walked and a place like Llanes, Ribadesella, Nueva, Colunga... would all be very nice bases with beaches and beautiful coasts.

 

[intrepidtraveler]

Congratulations, @trecile on completing another Camino.

There are lots of places worth a visit along the north coast-Ribadeo, Ribadesella, Bilbao. Gernika is near Bilbao as is San Juan de Gaztelugatxe (don't ask me to pronounce it). Several people that I walked with took a side trip to Oveido and really raved about it. From there it's easy to get to Gijon which has a really nice beach. From a transportation standpoint it would be easy to get back to Madrid from either Bilbao or Oveido.

Our Spanish teacher (Monica) raves about Valencia which is on the south coast of Spain. Being coastal the temperatures are way more moderate than Seville or Granada. Lots of wonderful places for R&R- my guess is that the hard part will be deciding which one (s) to choose.

 

[trecile]

Lots of great suggestions! Thanks. I've decided to stay another day in Santiago before walking on to the coast because one of the friends that I was going to walk with has a stomach bug that's going around.
But that will give me the opportunity to meet up with some other pilgrims I met along the way who are arriving today. And maybe get a pedicure before my feet turn into hooves! Any suggestions on a good pedicure place?

 

[Juspassinthru]

I would head back to Navarra, San Sebastián or a small beach town of Orio. Heading south, Granada is wonderful and a Moorish Bath to get the Camino dust off.