The journey so far.....and we have come far!
Trip Start
Jul 05, 2007
1
27
Trip End
Ongoing
Kobarid, Slovenia
Friday, September 10, 2010
The first part of our unemployed European adventure was a trip to Spain with Si's mum and her friend Linda to do the Camino Portuguese. Helen had been planning this trip for quite some time and put in all the research. She and Linda started the walk in Porto and we were meeting them for the last 100km in Spain. Our heads were so frazzled from packing up in London that we just about managed to get ourselves on the plane to Santiago de Compostella....and then when we arrived, looked at each other with an expression of 'where the heck do we go now?’. Helen was the fountain of knowledge, we just had to get to her and Linda and we would be fine....but they were in Tui....now...how do we ask ‘Where is the bus to Tui?’ in Spanish? Spanish phrase book out, travel heads screwed on, deep breath........ ‘Donde esta, autobus Tui?’......and there our pilgrimage started.
Not that we knew this until we started the walk, but the Camino is traditionally walked as a religious/spiritual pilgrimage. There are many walks throughout France, Spain and Portugal and they all meet up in Santiago de Compestella in Spain. Many people take on a Camino to think, to ponder, to seek spiritual guidance. We were told that it is quite a tradition in Spain for people to walk the Camino when they retire, to seek guidance on their new path in life. We weren’t retiring but we were certainly taking on a new path in life and so this seemed very appropriate. We could not have planned a better start to our travels than this (thanks Helen). We were very happy to be on this path and looking forward to a week of walking and letting our ‘London, work, rush, work’ thoughts take a back seat.
What we enjoyed most about the walk was how straight forward it all was. It was interesting and at times scenic without being breathtaking at any point. Part of its charm was that the scenery itself was not so spectacular that it distracted from the conversation or our ponderings... The path is marked by yellow arrows and the symbol of a shell. You walk where the arrow or shell points, and eventually you come to your destination. There are some coffee cups marked on the map where you can stop for a cafe con leche, but apart from that, you just walk. There are many pilgrims on the path so often you will come across the same travellers as you go. We particularly liked ‘Silver Fox’ Hugo who seemed to be very popular with all the ‘ladies’. We stayed in alberges which are like camp dormitories with about 30 or so beds and cost 5 euros a night. Thanks to Linda we mastered the art of ear plugs and sleeping tablets so that even the most monstrous of snorers could not disturb our much needed sleep (yes Philip we are talking about you dear Irish man).
After 100km or so we reached Santiago de Compostella and since Simon and I had only joined the walk half way through, it seemed like we were just getting started. We would definitely like to do another longer Camino at some point. There is one that runs from France to Spain through the Pyrenees and it takes about 35 days. Maybe that’s one for when we retire ;-).
After the walk we had about 10 days in Spain and made our way across the North coast. Some of the highlights were A Coruna (lovely beaches), the Feve train trip, and of course Madrid! I also turned 30 along the way and since my heritage goes back to the Spanish Armada it was only fitting that I celebrated this milestone in Spain J
After Spain we headed back to the UK for a few weeks as Chris and Emily were getting married. The tough part was that we had 2 weeks to spare and were actually homeless, so after house sitting for a week we headed out to Devon and Cornwall, before heading to Surrey for Chris & Em’s wedding. The wedding weekend was really lovely. We stayed in the Manor House Hotel with Chris and Em and co and really enjoyed meeting all the family and friends.
Chris and Emily were actually coming on their honeymoon with us to the Pyrenees. On 17 August we drove to Portsmouth for the ferry to Santander in Spain – Cath, Si, Chris, Em, Poo (our van) and Sean (our sat nav). For Simon and I this was the start of our 3 month trip – PYRENEES, SOUTH FRANCE, ITALY, SLOVENIA, CROATIA, ITALY again, GERMANY...a few more spots....and then back to the UK.
So we arrived in Spain on 18 August and we are now in Slovenia on 10 September. The Pyrenees was such an amazing experience. I’m not going into detail now but maybe Si will write an entry about that at some point. What I will say now is that we loved being so remote in very simple little villages, we loved the walks and we loved having Chris and Em with us. We didn’t love saying goodbye to them but then some people have to work......and some of us don’t ;-). South of France was nice but Simon and I had a nasty stomach virus so we were not our usual selves. Still, the highlights were Gorges to Verdon, Nice and Monaco. We then hit the Italian Alps for a few days on the way to Slovenia. Tomorrow we go rafting on the Soca River, and then we move across to Lake Bohinj and the National Park for some serious mountain walks. After that, Croatia for two weeks and then a month in Italy before taking the drive back to the UK...perhaps via Germany. Then London for a week to sell Poo (the van) and then back to Perth...to live!
Hopefully from here we can keep our travel pod up to date.
PS If anyone wants to join us we have a spare tent!
PPS If anyone wants to buy our VW campervan let us know!!
Love Cath, Si + Poo
Comments
Am reading your blog at the computer with my uggies, fleece with a dribble of dried weetbix encrusted on it and it's 10am in the morning. Have grizzly kids under my feet. Needless to say am very gealous!! Looks fantastic, can't wait to see you guys but make the most of this great time. It's amazing how life can totally change in a few short years!!