A Day On A Path
A short walk to get out of the city – about 5 miles / 8 Km. I made two wrong turns, turning this into a 10 mile / 16 Km walk. A Coruña isn’t very dedicated to placing arrows at intersections! Eventually, I checked my Wise Pilgrim app to see where I went wrong and how to get back on the right path. Once out of A Coruña, arrows were there for me.
This is primarily a tourist town. Ginormous cruise ships in the harbor, and I only ran into three pilgrims – and they had flown into A Coruña to take a bus to Ferrol. To get a Compostela, a person must walk 100 consecutive Kilometers on a recognized Camino de Santiago route. It’s 100 Km from Ferrol to Santiago and only 70 Km from A Coruña. Hence, anyone starting in A Coruña has walked the first 30 Km in a Spain-recognized Camino in another country. I walked the first 30 Km in San Antonio, TX on the El Camino de San Antonio Missions. I’ll meet with the Ferrol route pilgrims in Hospital de Bruma where the two routes converge on the way to Santiago de Compostela.
Hey all – I’m doing fine. Had a long day and will catch up with posts tomorrow!
Freshly crushed tomatoes with olive oil spread and a grande cafe con leche. Simone Grosdidier, am I remembering you really liked the tomato toast?
The olive oil is served in little packets- opening for the oil on one end and for salt on the other end.
Day One in Spain. Settled into my A Coruña room and pulled up Google maps to see how far I’d be walking tomorrow. It’s a tiny jet lag walk. It showed eight walking days to my next stay. Instead of booking in O Burgo (6 Km away), I’d booked in del Burgo. Quite the scramble to find a room, contact the bag transfer service, and communicate with the del Burgo pensión.
I’m the blue
Good news. I have a room.
Less than good news. I forfeit the mistake. And the new room is nearly 2.5 as much as I anticipated paying.
Dana gathered a bundle of nerves formerly known as Mary and shuttled her lovingly to the airport. Thanks to John Martinson for this great picture.
To my friends and family who are concerned about me and this camino – if I get too tired, I’ll call a taxi at the next village! There are taxi signs every time we near a village. (Countdown: 9 days and a wake-up.)
My pack is sorted: 35L Osprey Kyte. 7.5 lbs / 3.4 kg. New rubber tips on my poles. New insoles and laces on the trusty boots. Medical supplies pack for air travel prepared. Air tags for anything that will be out of my sight.
I’ll wear the Osprey with minimal items: Tiny first aid packages, rain gear, sun hat, puffy vest, cheap gloves, socks, 4 days of medical supplies. The remaining items will be transported each day in my 22 Liter rolling duffel.
Advancing technology streamlined some tedious tasks:
Chat GBT: Prepared stages for the Inglés and the Francés. A few minor tweaks, and that was finished.
Online reservation for bag transfers: Pilbeo transport – $181.00 / €155.00 prox €7 /stage.
eSIM: Holafly – Unlimited data for 28 days. $70.90
Allianz Travel Insurance: Allianz: Primarily emergency medical. $104.00 for 30 days
Lodging reservations: Booking.com isn’t new; I used this for most of my bookings in 2019 and 2021. However, more of the smaller lodgings had websites with the ability to book via the website. Several of the bookings were direct via website. I booked 26 nights; all but 3 nights in different towns. $1,727.00 / €1,550.00
13 Days of Training Remaining
I don’t walk the last few days before departure. Give the body a rest. Tie up loose ends for travel. Clean house. Do Laundry. And make sure I don’t twist an ankle or do some bodily damage right before I leave.
Walking with my pack most days. The pack feels comfortable while I’m walking, but my shoulder/neck muscles are feeling the new weight. Hopefully, that muscle soreness will be worked out by the time I start walking on September 27.
Monday, August 4: Shawnee-Mission Park: Red Trail 4.4 miles
July 27: Tomahawk Creek. 6 miles
July 28: Turkey Creek. 5.2 miles
Aug 01: Turkey Creek. 6.0 miles
Aug 02: Turkey Creek. 6.0 miles / 9.66 Km
