Haloranch

Weather here is very nice. It rained for most of the last two days of walking although it stopped shortly before I arrived at the cathedral. Attended the mass at noon today which was packed with pilgrims. They even used the big incense ball and I managed to get some decent photos while they were swinging it literally from ceiling to ceiling. Have deceded to stay here at the albergue rather than get a hotel room. No bath but everything else is perfect. I am also a couple of hundred meters from the bus stop that will get me to the airport. Spent some time going to the stores around the cathedral picking up some souvenirs including a couple of tee-shirts. There is also a jazz festival in the city and lots of groups are entertaining the throngs of people. The albergue is on the Camino about 2 km from the cathedral. Am watching a continuous flow of pilgrims walking by. I´m guessing that several hundred are arriving daily and it is still not the height of the season which I am told is Ju...

Success! I am in Santiago. Arrived at 9:45 local time this morning. Am staying at a private albergue for a couple of days and then I will find a room with a bath for the last day. Right foot is swollen and a bit sore but no matter. I can rest up for a couple of days. Will visit the Galician cultural center tday or tomorrow. Four buildings are completed of the 6 in the original plan. But only two of the buildings have exhibits and are open to the public. Lack of money is still the issue. .

I am in Melide, only 55 km from Santiago. I expect to be there early on Saturday afternoon. Am feeling fine. No health problems other than just being tired after having walked close to 1500 km. Looking forward to heading home on Tuesday/Wednesday next week. Weather continues to be favourable with cool cloudy days and no rain. Hope it lasts for another couple of days.

I am in Triacastella about 140 km from Santigo. Since I last emailed I have stayed in Pereje, a tiny village 5 km past Villafranca de Bierzo and then O´Cebreiro. When I got to Pereje after having walked 38 km from Molinaesco (sp?), I decided to rationalize my situation. If I continued at the current rate I would be in Santiago on June 17, some 4 days prior to flying out on the 21st. So, I have set up a schedule that will get me to the finish line on June 19. Accordingly, yesterday I only walked the 22 km to O´Cebreiro (although all of it was uphill and the last 10 km were really tough). I arrived at 11:15 and had to wait until 1:00 for the albergue to open. Similarly today I only walked 20 km and despite almost being the last person to leave the albergue I still arrived here 11:00. The albergue here doesn´t open until noon but they have allowed me in and I have access to their internet connection (obviously ....duh). So, over the next 6 days I will average about 23 km. I ...

It rained all night (reminds me of a song by Celine) and continued throughout the day until I reached Leon at about 11:00. It is still cloudy and rain could undoubtedly start up again. I can´t complain since this is only the third day in 43 with rain. Of course, I have yet to walk in Gallicia where it rains two days out of every three! Healthwise all is OK although my legs feel pretty tired. No problems with blisters. My feet are a little swollen but are not really a problem. I got lost in Leon (same thing happened the first time in 2007). Ended up walking an additional couple of km as a consequence. I am staying in La Virgen del Camino, about 7 km west of Leon overnight and should be in Hospital de Orbigo early tomorrow afternoon. So, about 310 km to go and just over 1215 km completed.

I am in Mansilla de las Mulas about 14 km from Leon. Knee is not too bad. Not worse than other times. Left leg is a bit sore but I think that I am just a bit run down after 1200 km of walking. Only did about 26 km today and will do about the same tomorrow ending up on the other side of Leon. Scenery should be changing as I am almost through the Meseta which is in one word "boring".

I am in Bercelanos del Real Camino some 30 km from where I was last night. Should be in Leon in 2 more days. No rain at all today. In fact it was perfect for walking although this part of the Meseta is pretty boring. Health OK although I have daily pain in my right knee. Nothing new there since this is a problem that I battle continually.

I am in the tiny village of Calzadilla de la Cueza some 79 km short of Leon. Have walked 62 km over the last two days. Have just under 400 km to go to Santiago. Could have done more but I am limiting myself to around 30 km per day so as not to get to Santiago too early. Will likely take a rest day either in Leon or more likely Astorga which is about 115 km away. Health is OK although I have been experiencing some swelling of the feet. Have been taking Ibuprofen sparingly to counteract the swelling. Otherwise all is OK. The weather continues to cooperate. It has been cool (almost too cool early in the morning). No hint of rain. In fact, I have really only had two rainy walking days, one in France and one in Spain. If it were to rain I am going to have problems with a wet left foot where my shoe has ripped open. Hope for the best. So far have met people from 27 countries. Seeing many more Canadians and Americans than the first time. Understand that the movie about the Camino, ...

FRENCH SECTION I will never do another French section of the Camino if the Le Puy route is typical. Yes, the scenery was fantastic and the food was superb. I especially loved the breads and cheeses. Probably had the best meal at the Gite ferme de Barry where the owner made aligout. The main negative is that about 60 % of the route was walking on pavement, which is incredibly hard on your feet and legs. The French seem to pave anything that is wide enough for a car, no matter how remote the area. CAMINO FRANCES If I ever walk another Camino it won´t be the Camino Frances. The Camino has become a fad, something fashionable to do and an item to put on and knock off your bucket list. Every day is a rush to get up, get going, and arrive at your next destination early enough to guarantee a bed. Hospitaleros and gite owners told me that in the past they would either not fill or fill by late afternoon or early evening. Now they are full by mid afternoon. It has become the proverbi...

I am in Castrojerez having completed the 38th day. I have had no access to the internet for the last 4 days. Here is a brief update. Completed 1072 km. Over the last four days have walked 134 km. I need to slow down since at this rate I will be in Santiago on Jun16 which is way too early for my June 21 flight. 450 km remaining to Santiago Day before yesterday was a milestone as I reached 1000 km and also exceeded my longest walk, the "Walk to Beat Polio" (1007 km) in 2008. Health is OK although I have finally lost my second nail. Will likely lo se another one along the way. My shoes are giving me some grief. The left one is starting to tear on the left side of the foot. The toe cap that I had fixed in Red Deer before leaving is also starting to delaminate. I may take them back to MEC! I decided not mail my notes and the SD card from the camera on Monday this week in view of the potential postal strike in Canada.

I am in Najera about 95 km short of Burgos and Have completed 940 km. Decided to put my knee brace on after I got to the first town, Naverrete, and my knee felt a lot better after that. I am no longer in sequence with my original plan which duplicated my first Camino in Spain. Decided that I wanted to overnight in some other towns and cities rather than just duplicating what I had done before. Rewalking the Camino F rances has brought back a flood of memories from the first walk. In addition, I am no longer in touch with the 5 folks with whom I walked much of the French portion. I lost them two days ago and I think that they are about 10-15 km behind me. Undoubtedly I will run into some of them again especially if I decide to take a rest day. Right now I have 2 days in hand for my goal of arriving in Santiago on June 20.

Arrived in Logrono about 2 hours ago having completed 900 km. Feeling a little run own and my left knee (the one that always troubles me) is hurting. Just took some ibuprofen so it shoul be OK by the morning. If things go accoring to plan I expect to be in Santiago on either the 19th or 20th of June.

I am in Los Arcos. Have completed about 850 km. All is well. No problems with my feet any more. Did 36 km today and have about 28 to get to Logrono tomorrow.

I am in Cesur Menor just past Pamplona where Janos and I met Krisztina in 2007. All is well. Just came back from dinneer and a visit to the bar where we had a blast. Photos to come in the next week or so.

I am in Roncesvalles having gone over the pass Napoleon under ideal conditions in five and a half hours. Took about 35 pictures. No problem with feet or legs and I suspect that everything is finally good after almost 4 weeks of painful walking. Hopefully the rest will be a breeze. I had forgotten how steep some of the sections were but I must be in vbetter shape than last time as I knocked 50 minutes off my time from 2007. They have a brand new albergue here which is absolutely stunning compared to the old barn that I stayed in in 2007. Appreciate all the work that you guys (mostly Drew and Alethea) are doing. Perhaps I should stay in Europe a bit longer until everything is ship shape? The bunch of us that have been walking together for most of the trip are all having the "menu del peregrino" for 9€ this evening. Expect that we will have a great time. I mailed the third letter to you yesterday in St Jean not reaizing that there is a threat of a postal strike in Can...

I am in St. Jean. I only have 15 minutes on the free machine at the office des pelerins. Reaching the halfway point is a milestone. F EELS LIKE ALMOST DOWNHILL FROM HERE. Feet are almost back to normal. Swelling in right foot is totally gone. Should be fine from here unless something else crops up. Tomorrow (Monday) if the weather permits it is over the pass Napoleon to Roncesvalles which is the first stop in Spain.

I'm ¨On the Road Again¨!!! I walked the " 32.8 km from Arthez de Bearn to Navarrenx with minimal problems with my full pack. The two days that I took off were the right thing to do. There was a little bit of soreness over the last 10 klm but it was manageable. I will be in Saint Jean Pied-de-Port where I started my first Camino in 2007, on Sunday. To this point I have completed about 680 km and getting near the half way point. I have to leave the bandages on my foot for another two days. Today was the first day that I was allowed to have a shower. The walking right now is glorious and I have been able to see the snow-capped Pyreneeses Mountains for several days towards the south.

I am in Arzacq-Arraziguet (618 km). Unfortuntely I did not arrive by foot but instead by a van that transported baggage for walkers. Last night at Aire-sur-l'Adour the owner who is a paramedic examined my left foot and found it to be infected. He cleaned and treated the area and I will be OK. At his recommendtion I decided not to walk today but I will tomorrow withoput my backpack which will be transported. After that I should be OK. It seems that using "Compeed" exacerbated the situation by preventing air from getting to the injured area of my foot. It hurt like hell when he cleaned the wound but that's a good sign that the infected area was being treated. So all will be well in a couple of days. ...and later the same day... I'm at the tourist office in the same town as before. FOOT IS STILL PRETTY SORE but I expect to be walking in the morning. Won't have a backpack and I will take my time stopping frequently. Saw the snow-capped Pyrenees Mountains ye...

I found three English books at the gite in Moissac. They are all good books and I took all three with the blessing of the owner, Anne. Damn the weight!!!!

I am in Lectoure having completed 480 km after 17 stages. Tomorrow I will walk to Condom about 35 km from here. No jokes about Condom.....it was named such long before the modern condom was invented. On the other hand there is a hotel here that is name "Bastard". I have the photo to prove it. Reaching Condom will put me past the 1/3 point in the walk. Healht Update: Right foot is OK despite losing the nail on the toe next to the big one (called Morton's Foot - ed). I suppose that losing it has made be lighter. Still some problems with the left foot, but I think that it is getting better also. Right knee is a bit sore but drugs are helping...I like drugs! No problem with the sore throat...seems to have gone away. Meeting lots of nice people whom I am seeing over and over again.

I am in Moissac. Happened to find a place that has internet but I don't have my notes with me. I think that I am at about 420 km (you can check on the plan that I gave you). Am having a few more problems with my feet. Another blister on my left foot and I have lost the nail on one of the toes on my right foot. I also expect to lose the nail on one of the small toes on the other foot as well. I am a little tired but today was only a half day of walking and I will rest the remainder of the day. Weather is very good but also very hot (31 C s the high here today). I hope it cools off as I have a "é km stage tomorrow. (Editor's note: not sure what that means, probably 30 or 40 km). Will try to send some more info later today if internet is available.

I am in Montcuq at the end of the 13th stage as per my original plan. Have been unable to access internet for the last 4 days. The owner here has given me permission to use their personal system. I have completed about 475 km; I am changing my plan for the next stage. I am unable to walk the 40 km to Moissac in one day so I am breaking it into two shorter stages. My feet and my body need a rest and this is one way to do so. So I'm abou 25% complete. I have a total of 6 blisters....3 on each foot so that I remain in balance. The good news is that they are all getting better and I don't expect any more problems in that department. My right knee is also doing a bit of complaining but it is no worse than the last two Caminos. Lastly I have a bit of a tickle in my throat but the usual remedy (salt water) seems to be helping. The really good news is that my right shoulder problem is improving to the point that my mobility is about 75% of normal; The weather has been great with ...

I'm in Conques at the conclusion of day #7. Have completed about 200 km. Here are the good news and the not so good news. The weather is and continues to be fantastic. Absolutely ideal with cool mornings and mostly brilliant sunshine during the day. No sign of rain in the forseeable forecast. The repair to my shoes seems to be holding. No concerns there. My feet are in terrible shape. For the first time on one of these Camino walks I have blisters on the balls of both feet, the heel on my right foot and small blisters on a couple of toes including under one nail. Have had the problems for the last four days. In other news, the walking has been the best ever. Incredible scenery walking through small farms, villages and the occasional small town. The population of Conques where I am staying tonight is 80!!!! Hence, internet has been limited and when available, slow. I think the problems with my feet stem a bit with the shoes but mostly with the incredibly steep terrain...

I am in Aubrac Aumont at the end of the third day. Have done about 80 km of hard but spectacular walking. The route is very hilly. For instance climbing for 4.5 km for 2000 feet then dropping into a deep valley the same distance. Really hard on my feet which are very sore. Also thighs are aching from all the steep downhills. Weather has been cool and ideal to this point. No rain yet. Internet availability is sporadic and very slow. Will try to keep you informed as best I can.

I'm off to Europe on April 20 to visit my father in Hamburg Germany and then to make my way to Le Puy-en-Velay in France from where I will begin walking my third Camino de Santiago pilgrimmage(the Way of St. James) on April 26. I hope to arrive in Santiago de Compostela by June 20. I'll be posting updates on this blog as time and internet availability permits. Hans