Sunday 28 September

Wake at 6 4.30am. Fitful sleep until 6.30am. Up and packed. Breakfast. Sit and wait for light. Very chilly as we walk up the mostly abandoned street of Foncebadon (1500m high). Behind us the sun rises in a distant gloom of airborne particulate matter. What it is we don't know. The classic ball of red fire greets the frosty hill. It takes 2 hours for us to thaw out. Legs and feet that tentatively found their first weight earlier are now warming to the task and we cover the 2km to Monte Irago (1504 m) and the Cruz de Ferro where we add our stones to the milladoiro (mound of stones), continuing an ancient tradition of throwing away symbolic weights or sins. It is a poignant moment and many pilgrims are gathered in the early dawn light to share this great experience.

The camino passes quickly under our feet until we decide at Riego de Ambros that another 5km downhill to Molinesca will aggravate our injuries and prevent us walking tomorrow. Dee sticks out a thumb and we are often disappointed until our dreadlocked knight comes to the rescue. We communicate poorly yet our host manages to give us a “guided tour”of the road and sights to Ponferrada where he drops us near the cuidad, or old town centre. The Hostal La Encina is central and well appointed. Lunching with an obligatory vino we begin to plan our next assault on the camino.

Saturday 27 September

We rejoin the camino and it would seem a thousand walkers. The last few days have been really quite ... we have left late, taken alternate routes, and walked into towns late also. As our legs and feet warm to the task we stride past most of them in the first village and keep a fast pace to lunch in Camino de Rabinero on calamari and salad. Our credentials stamped, and a frolic with the auberges local dogs we head off looking for a shop to buy some supplies as the next few towns have no services. We find the only little shop in town – and we mean little – the shop owner lived 3 years in Sydney, Wollongong, and Port Kembla steel works and wants to talk philosophy as we purchase our supplies, especially tomatoes.

The walk today is an ascent with trees and varied landscape. Really pleasant despite the sore legs and feet. Most camino walkers stop at Rabinero but we continue onto the next town 4.2k ahead. Foncebadon is small with only seasonal residents but the auberges and hotel are new to cater for the camino, and great. We stay in our first auberge which has a double room with bathroom. The shower is amazing – a sit down spa with jets and water heads everywhere. You almost need a license to run it. Refreshed we head out - not a lot of choice but next door is an amazing (yes we used that word a lot but it truly is) bar and restaurant. I'm typing with my vino and Pete is working out the menu. Will keep you posted.

Diner consists of trout soup,medieval veg stew, deer and fried fish with copious amounts of very cheap and quaffable red. A real indulgence of tastes and the last two days have provided us with more of the great food we had expected. Back to the aubergue, it's 7.30, by 7.45 Dee is in a deep sleep, the labours and libations of the day now ready to be slept off. I listen to music until 10.30pm.

Friday 26 September

We have been away for 3 weeks. I am missing the kids, Dee has persistent knee and foot pain, blisters appear overnight and ibuprofen accompanies each meal. It sounds as though we are doing it tough, and physically we are. What keeps us going? Apart from the fact that we are two stubborn individuals, we are experiencing a most remarkable journey. Try to ignore all the remarks you might encounter regarding spiritual aspects of the camino. Each person has a unique experience of self discovery, of that I am sure. However, to discover and experience such exquisite , artistic beauty, each day, that for me makes the physical hardship worth it. Somehow you feel deserving. That's my take on it. I'll let Dee speak for herself.

We sleep in,take it slow into the day, pack and head down for coffee. The Gaudi palace opens at 11 so we get provisions before seeing the sights. As you might expect from Gaudi , the unexpected is everywhere, indescribable beauty and quirkiness. Arches and curves dominant. Stained glass with a more contemporary look. The remnants of Roman occupation on display in the basement. A contemporary exhibition of paintings on one floor and the obligatory religious iconography everywhere. our experience tainted by an overzealous “guardian” of the palace who insists that I don't photograph any architectural features in spite of the fact that others are allowed to. She follows our every step and I cannot help but tell her I dislike her intensely and that she should have better things to do. Obviously she doesn't. Next stop the Catedral Astorga, it is closed, we decide to leave. 4km out of town we reach Murias de Rechivaldo and two kms on we detour to Castrillo de los Polvazares where we decide to stop and look around one of Spain's authentic pueblos, completely built of stone and timber in the traditional way.

Once a mule driving town it is absolutely amazing and a welcome solace from the bustle of the camino. We lunch in a paddock, have siesta, and wait for the town to awaken. it's only trade now is tourism and for a Friday it is really quiet. Bars and restaurants threaten to open as we wander through the streets greeting the few locals who are out and about. We have drinks and learn a little about the town from the barman who speaks some English and head back to our gorgeous hotel for a simple dinner of salad and cured meat - the restaurant isn't open but the hospitality is very warming and the husband and wife team who run it are delightful. As we leave they ask us what time we would like breakfast and provide quite a spread of fresh orange juice, espresso coffee, toast with local honey & jams, and a sweet cake for 2.5E. It was a lovely detour and not on the official camino route which awaits us now.

Thursday 25 September

Up at 7am and breakfast is bran and yogurt. Not much but it beats Spanish stodge. Downstairs for a coffee and leave along the main street of Hospital d'Orbiga. The sky is clear and the day starts cool. We head off on the country route to Astorga. Dee and I are both nursing injuries and so the pace is slow early and we dawdle past farmers gathering potatoes, fields of corn and other crops we cannot recognise. After 2.5 kms we enter Villares d'Orbiga and seeing two women sitting in the sun, enjoying coffee, we decide to join them. By midday we reach Santibanez de Valdeiglesias and 500m up the road, on a small rise, there is an odd collection of peregrino objects decorating a steel sculpture. Small “shrines” are scattered everywhere. Some just smooth stones with felt pen inscriptions. We have lunch, add our token words and push on over the Crucero de Santo Toribio (905m). A slow, 2 hour descent to Astorgia, legs losing power, aches becoming pains and a walk more limp than stride, we enter Astorgia. Once a Roman strategic position, Astorga presents us with a labyrinthe of small roads and plazas. We are out on our feet and at a snail's pace yet we manage to get to the Bishop's Palace an outstanding modern Gothic structure designed by Antoni Gaudi, who has rapidly become my hero and inspiration.

Time for rest, beer and Pringles chips. Tourist information will not open for 1.5 hours so I head off, leaving Dee sipping vino blanco in the plaza. 45 minutes of limping about, no luck with accommodation. I get back, Dee has had another sherbet and has a wide grin on her face. I try to see the amusing side but my feet have the floor so to speak. Tourist info is no help. We opt for Hotel Gaudi, 50m away. It blows our budget but it is central, has a hot shower and we are just about over it.

Cleaned up, exhausted, hungry, thirsty and in need of clothes washing we head off. Spanish hotels do not cater for laundry and at 10-14 E per small bag, we are being ripped off. Aubergues offer laundry, however reports of bed bugs and thefts put us off for the moment. We wash and feed, head back to H. Gaudi and crash.

Wednesday 24 September

After a lovely call home to Oliver and Kate we head off early (for Spain that is) at around 9. It's really cold in the mornings and the we take it easy for the stroll out of Leon stopping at at a bar for a cafe solo on the way. Our legs and feet warm to the stride and by mid morning we approach the first of many subterranean Bodegas (wine cellars) which unfortunately are now disused.

Onto Virgen del Camino whose church facade is the work of a modern sculptor, Jose Maria Subiarachs. It has 13 bronze statues of the 12 apostles and the Virgin Mary. Very different from the other churches and also amazing.

We take the long road option through isolated dirt roads via Villa de Mazarife rather than walking along the highway. It's a good option as you can always stick your thumb out when the going gets tough ... not that there are many cars. So after several hours walking, in a little town called Chozas de Abojo, we see a car and after a further 5 mins of walking Dee sticks out a thumb and we get a lift to the pueblo of Villa de Mazarife. 4 kms on and 5 mins in the car we save 1.5 hours walking. Once again no English is spoken but the 5 mins rest and kilometres passed are greatly appreciated. We decide to push on, even though Villa de Mazarife has all services, we push on for Hospital de Orbigo. Two farmers give us another lift, 4kms saved. A stop at Villavante for a beer and chat with a couple of Yanks we met on the second day of the walk and again at Burgos, was pleasant although the town was uninviting.

Arriving at Hospital de Orbigo around 6pm we get a great room (and last) in the hostel overlooking the dammed river Rio Orbigo and its long stone bridge with 19 arches dating from the 13th to 19th centuries. The day has been longer than anticipated, some 36.5km covered and over 28km on foot. The day ends with two extremely sore-footed individuals shuffling to the local restaurant for a Pilgrim's meal that proves excellent. Barcelona are playing Betis so I am even happier. Tomorrow we walk to Astorga, some 17kms away.

Only 300 km to Santiago.

Tuesday 23 September

We organise our pack transport and get Dee a lighter pack. Back in the room we divide our gear. Housekeeping done we head off for Plaza de San Martin and lunch. Fantastic food and wine and we are happy little vegemites once more. Off to see the cathdedral and the glass, although mostly very dirty and in the process of restoration, is breathtaking. This is a place to visit in about 5 years when restoration will be complete. We book a tour of the platform that has been erected within arms length of the large rose window. Up close and personal with this ancient painted glass is just pure pleasure and it is this close that you are able to appreciate the detail of the work.

It's getting late so we head off to a small bar that we found the day before. Sitting in the corner of the Plaza de San Isidoro, with it's early Romaesque church, is a fantastic eating and drinking house with free tit bits at the bar and ,most importantly, great salad, fish and pasta. We are able to leave Leon satisfied that James had not led us astray.

Tomorrow we walk.

Monday 22 September

James the pommy busdriver looks after us well and tells us the food in Leon is fantastic. We find lodgings and head out for brekkie, which turns out to be a sickly sweet bread pudding. The coffee is average. Find internet so Pete can contact Oliver and Kate. No luck (with skype) at the internet cafe so we just do a little house keeping and leave. We are now sick of Spanish “morning food”, which is mostly stodgy, and do not seem to have adjusted our routine to eat a late lunch and very late dinner. We seem to be walking during the lunch period and arrive in towns hungry, opt for stodgy pinchos and feel bloated afterwards. Today we resolve to find good food.

Walking around in the drizzling rain we find a supermarket. Stocked with fresh fruit and veges head back to room and dine on salad cheese and fruit. It is siesta time and find free Wifi. Looking for pack transport to lighten our load. The rain clears so we head out to see Leon. The Santa Maria de la Regla is closed but we are able to appreciate it's Gothic exterior and look forward to seeing it's 2000 sq m of stained glass tomorrow. Near the Hostal Guzman is our first look at the work of Antoni Gaudi. Casa de Botin now houses exhibitions within its for sectioned facades with turrets. The contemporary glass and iron work are outstanding. The nearby Iglesia de San Marcello, Plaza de San Marcello and Plaza de San Martin form our route of investigation. We are determined to source good food and finally end up at Latino eating prawns and the obligatory “vino tinto”. We have found the grail.

Sunday 21 September

An early start – 10am – for Spain. Nothing open except a few tourist cafes serving ordinary coffee and bad food. After same we head off to the Castle de Castillo and a tour of the underground tunnels and well. Quite fascinating as long as you don't suffer claustrophobia. We make our way back to the centre of town looking for fruit and vegetables but it is siesta and almost everything is shut. So back to the hotel to collect our credentials and we head off to the Cathedral de Burgos which is a world heritage listed site of which we will post some pictures but the camera ran out of memory and battery at the same time.

Some 2 hours later and with Dee saying I'm all cultured out, there is 'BUT WAIT, there is more'. And you guessed it there is a set of steak knives, well they looked like steak knives but they are actually the implements used to carve the stone.

It was so vast, spectacular, awesome and gory in parts. This part of the Camino de Santiago has a gruesome past and everywhere there are paintings and sculptures of the Knight Templars standing on beheaded Moors, or Christ and Saints with multiple sword wounds and other delightful details.

Off for more food and wine – good wine, second rate food. We just haven't got the food thing right here yet. Perhaps it's because they eat the main meal around 2-4pm and we're sightseeing or walking. So the pinchos are now mainly bread and bread and potato and bread.

After organising tomorrows transport to Leon we take a leisurely stroll down the Paseo del Espolon along the river. The gardens are lush and the afternoon and evening warm and threatening of a thunderstorm. By the time we get back to Plaza de Santa Maria the nocturnal spanish are emerging from who knows where and the streets are filling with colour and noise as they prepare to do it all over again. It's too much for us and we grab a bottle of wine and head back to Hotel d'espana.

A 6:35 depart on the bus tomorrow means early to bed.