MNTravelogue
By Wilfredo (Sonny) Valenzuela
Photos: by Wilfredo Valenzuela, Danny and Cindy Valenzuela-Rivera, Rico and Frieda Enriquez-Rivera
July 20, 2018
September 2017: Saint James is the patron saint of Spain. Legend has it that he spent years preaching the gospel in the Iberian Peninsula and his remains are in Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, Spain. As I write this travelogue, it has been almost a year since our El Camino de Santiago (The Way of St. James) pilgrimage.
The group: L-R: Rico and Frieda Enriquez-Rivera, Wilfredo (Sonny) Valenzuela and Cindy and Danny Valenzuela-Rivera at the steps of the cathedral
At a restaurant in Madrid before the pilgrimage
Our group of five from the Philippines, Australia and the United States met in Madrid in September 2017 to assemble for our westward journey on foot to Santiago de Compostela. The group included my brother Danny, his wife Cindy, her sister Frieda, Frieda’s husband Rico and me. We spent a few days sightseeing in Madrid, Avila, Segovia and Salamanca before starting the pilgrimage.We took a train from Madrid to Monforte de Lemos in Galicia where we stayed overnight prior to commencing the pilgrimage. Not knowing precisely where our hotel in Monforte de Lemos is located, we decided to walk to it from the train station to get some practice for the 8-day pilgrimage we were about to undertake. It was too late before we realized that the hotel is on top of a hill that overlooks the town.
At Parador Monforte de Lemos
But our accommodations made the challenging trek up the hill with luggage in tow well worth it. We were not expecting to be booked at the upscale Parador Monforte de Lemos with our pilgrimage. The rooms at the parador are luxurious, and the meals scrumptious and plentiful. Frieda received many words of gratitude from the group for the arrangements she made for us with RAW Travel in Sydney, Australia. We highly recommend RAW Travel for hiking trips worldwide.
The start of our 130-kilometer (on foot) El Camino de Santiago ….from Sarria to Santiago de Compostela
A small bus picked us up at Parador Monforte de Lemos the following morning to bring us to Sarria, the starting point of our Camino de Santiago pilgrimage. Our memorable journey on foot along Spain’s countryside from Sarria to Santiago de Compostela covered a little less than 130 km (about 80 miles) in 8 days. Along the way, we met many friendly hikers of all ages from different countries. Some travelers were in their 20’s, others in their 80’s. Some of them started hundreds of kilometers farther in St. Jean Pied de Port at the foothills of the Pyrenees. “Buen Camino” was the familiar friendly greeting as we met each other along the way.
We adjusted our hiking poles, then climbed a flight of old concrete steps in Sarria to begin the relatively short trek to Morgade. It took us about 5 hours, somewhat leisurely walking through the woods and farmland, to reach Morgade where we stayed after the first day of the pilgrimage. The day’s trip included a break for protein bars and some refreshing sangria at a small rural town restaurant along the way.
Walking from Sarria to Morgade
The lodging at Morgade is a rustic but comfortable old stone house. It is family run, and we were told that the vegetables and fruits we were served for dinner came from the owner’s garden. We took advantage of the laundry service provided, anticipating that a similar service might not be available for the next 8 days. It rained hard that night, but the sun was bright the following morning by the time we started our hike to Portomarin.
Walking from Sarria to Morgade, including a sangria break
There were apple and chestnut trees along the bucolic path. After crossing the bridge over the Miño River in the mid-afternoon, we scaled some steps and walked further up the hill to reach Portomarin. We stayed in a modern hotel near the old church in Portomarin. As the sun set beyond the horizon, we had an excellent dinner of grilled meat and vegetables at the O Mirador restaurant with its panoramic view of the Miño River and the verdant hills.
From Morgade to Portomarin, across the Miño River
From Morgade to Portomarin, across the Miño River
The following day, we walked to Ventas de Naron. We stayed at the Casa Rural Roan, a family-run 18[sup]th[/sup] century farmhouse built with thick stone walls. We were picked up along the camino for a short ride to the farmhouse. The owner, his wife and their young son were exceptionally friendly and hospitable. We were served a dinner of home-cooked fresh meat and produce from the garden.
From Portomarin to the Casa Rural Roan, a family-run farmhouse in Ventas de Naron
Here, we joined other camino pilgrims of various nationalities for a lively dinner. The other guests came from Australia, Italy and Germany. Before we proceeded with the pilgrimage the following morning, we passed by the medieval Vilar das Donas church and listened to the old curator, who spoke only Spanish, tell us about the history of the church and its origins during the time of the Knights Templar in the 12[sup]th[/sup] century.
From the Casa Rural Roan farmhouse to the medieval Vilar das Donas church, then to Palas de Rei where the local orchestra was performing at the plaza when we arrived.
From the Casa Rural Roan farmhouse to the medieval Vilar das Donas church, then to Palas de Rei where the local orchestra was performing at the plaza when we arrived.
The next segment of the pilgrimage took us to Palas de Rei. We stayed at the Hotel Balneario Rio Pambre in the small village of Sambreixo several kilometers from Palas de Rei. Rico developed pain in one foot during our trek, and it got worse as we reached Palas de Rei. He was getting concerned that he might not be able to complete the pilgrimage. In Spain, business establishments, including the pharmacy in Palas de Rei, are typically closed in the early to mid-afternoon. We listened to the local orchestra perform at the town center and visited the old church, before returning to the pharmacy later to get the much needed arch support for Rico’s planter fasciitis. He was in fine hiking shape again by the following morning, walking steps ahead of us on our way to Melide.
Pulpo and other Galician dishes
All through our pilgrimage, we stopped at churches, restaurants and hotels to get our Camino pilgrims passports stamped. On our way to Melide, we had our Camino passports stamped at the small 14[sup]th[/sup] century Gothic church of Santa María de Leboreiro. In Melide, we tasted the most delicious pulpo (octopus) in a pulperia. Pulpo is a signature dish in this part of Spain.
From Palas de Rei to Melide, passing by the 14th century church of Santa María de Leboreiro, and meeting new friends along the way.
From Palas de Rei to Melide, passing by the 14th century church of Santa María de Leboreiro, and meeting new friends along the way.
The town of Arzua was our next destination after an overnight stay in Melide. The hike to Arzua took us through idyllic farms, forests, rivers and streams. Along the way, we encountered other hikers who became friends. We would see some of them once more upon our arrival in Santiago de Compostela and take some parting pictures with them. We had excellent accommodations and dinner at the Paso Santa Maria in Arzua with its beautiful pastoral surroundings, a much welcome respite after the long journey that day.
From Melide to Paso Santa Maria, our lodging in Arzua. We met more new friends along the way.
From Arzua we headed to O Pedrouzo. Hiking for 7 days had started to take its toll on us. We were quite relieved to reach our destination. We stayed at the O Muiño de Pena, a country house made of thick walls and large wooden beams. It used to be an old mill from the mid-1800’s. We were told that the country house has been in the family of the owners for generations since its construction. My room had a view of the river running through the woods. Before proceeding on our hike the following morning, the owner’s trained pet dog guided us on a brief walk along a path by the river.
An old country house by a small river, where we stayed for our overnight stop in O Pedrouzo.
We left O Pedrouzo on the 8[sup]th[/sup] day of our pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, the capital of Galicia. This was the last and longest stretch of our daily treks.
The plaza by the cathedral.
By the time we reached the capital, mind had taken over matter to muster the strength and stamina to reach the cathedral and climb the steps for a triumphal group picture to celebrate our achievement. Conveniently, the Hotel Rua Villar where we stayed in Santiago de Compostela is only steps away from the cathedral.
At the steps of the cathedral upon completion of the pilgrimage.
The following day, we heard mass at the cathedral. We were fortunate to attend a mass which used the Botafumeiro , a large metallic censer filled with incense. A Botafumeiro has been in use over the centuries during special religious celebrations. The censer is suspended from a mechanism in the dome and made to swing in a wide arc rising towards one side of the cathedral’s transept then back to the other side while the incense burns and fills the cathedral with smoke.
Inside the cathedral with the Botafumeiro , a large metallic censer filled with incense.
We obtained our certificates in Santiago de Compostela at the Pilgrim’s Office which accredits the religious pilgrimage. To get the credentials, we presented our passports with dated stamps from the different places we visited during the 8-day pilgrimage.
Finisterre on the western coast of Galicia, Spain.
From Santiago de Compostela, we visited other places by car. Rico drove us to the beach town of Muxia for lunch, then to Finisterre on the western coast of the Iberian Peninsula in Galicia. Finisterre was considered “the end of the earth” in Roman times, and thus its name.
We watched the beautiful sunset beyond the ocean at Finisterre before we retired in a seaside hotel for the night. The following day, we drove to Porto in Portugal. Then we went to Fatima, Bilbao, Pamplona, San Sebastian, and back to Bilbao, our home base for this segment of our trip. From Bilbao, we flew to Barcelona for a quick tour of the Catalonian capital and Monserrat, before going on our separate ways to fly back home.
Nowadays, thousands of hikers and pilgrims travel each year along the Camino de Santiago, either on foot, a bicycle, or even horseback. It could be a highly satisfying experience culturally, spiritually, physically and gastronomically. It certainly was for me.
El Camino de Santiago --- Byway of Adventures for People of All Ages
Photos: by Wilfredo Valenzuela, Danny and Cindy Valenzuela-Rivera, Rico and Frieda Enriquez-Rivera
July 20, 2018
September 2017: Saint James is the patron saint of Spain. Legend has it that he spent years preaching the gospel in the Iberian Peninsula and his remains are in Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, Spain. As I write this travelogue, it has been almost a year since our El Camino de Santiago (The Way of St. James) pilgrimage.
The group: L-R: Rico and Frieda Enriquez-Rivera, Wilfredo (Sonny) Valenzuela and Cindy and Danny Valenzuela-Rivera at the steps of the cathedral
At a restaurant in Madrid before the pilgrimage
At Parador Monforte de Lemos
But our accommodations made the challenging trek up the hill with luggage in tow well worth it. We were not expecting to be booked at the upscale Parador Monforte de Lemos with our pilgrimage. The rooms at the parador are luxurious, and the meals scrumptious and plentiful. Frieda received many words of gratitude from the group for the arrangements she made for us with RAW Travel in Sydney, Australia. We highly recommend RAW Travel for hiking trips worldwide.
The start of our 130-kilometer (on foot) El Camino de Santiago ….from Sarria to Santiago de Compostela
A small bus picked us up at Parador Monforte de Lemos the following morning to bring us to Sarria, the starting point of our Camino de Santiago pilgrimage. Our memorable journey on foot along Spain’s countryside from Sarria to Santiago de Compostela covered a little less than 130 km (about 80 miles) in 8 days. Along the way, we met many friendly hikers of all ages from different countries. Some travelers were in their 20’s, others in their 80’s. Some of them started hundreds of kilometers farther in St. Jean Pied de Port at the foothills of the Pyrenees. “Buen Camino” was the familiar friendly greeting as we met each other along the way.
We adjusted our hiking poles, then climbed a flight of old concrete steps in Sarria to begin the relatively short trek to Morgade. It took us about 5 hours, somewhat leisurely walking through the woods and farmland, to reach Morgade where we stayed after the first day of the pilgrimage. The day’s trip included a break for protein bars and some refreshing sangria at a small rural town restaurant along the way.
Walking from Sarria to Morgade
The lodging at Morgade is a rustic but comfortable old stone house. It is family run, and we were told that the vegetables and fruits we were served for dinner came from the owner’s garden. We took advantage of the laundry service provided, anticipating that a similar service might not be available for the next 8 days. It rained hard that night, but the sun was bright the following morning by the time we started our hike to Portomarin.
Walking from Sarria to Morgade, including a sangria break
There were apple and chestnut trees along the bucolic path. After crossing the bridge over the Miño River in the mid-afternoon, we scaled some steps and walked further up the hill to reach Portomarin. We stayed in a modern hotel near the old church in Portomarin. As the sun set beyond the horizon, we had an excellent dinner of grilled meat and vegetables at the O Mirador restaurant with its panoramic view of the Miño River and the verdant hills.
From Morgade to Portomarin, across the Miño River
From Morgade to Portomarin, across the Miño River
The following day, we walked to Ventas de Naron. We stayed at the Casa Rural Roan, a family-run 18[sup]th[/sup] century farmhouse built with thick stone walls. We were picked up along the camino for a short ride to the farmhouse. The owner, his wife and their young son were exceptionally friendly and hospitable. We were served a dinner of home-cooked fresh meat and produce from the garden.
From Portomarin to the Casa Rural Roan, a family-run farmhouse in Ventas de Naron
Here, we joined other camino pilgrims of various nationalities for a lively dinner. The other guests came from Australia, Italy and Germany. Before we proceeded with the pilgrimage the following morning, we passed by the medieval Vilar das Donas church and listened to the old curator, who spoke only Spanish, tell us about the history of the church and its origins during the time of the Knights Templar in the 12[sup]th[/sup] century.
From the Casa Rural Roan farmhouse to the medieval Vilar das Donas church, then to Palas de Rei where the local orchestra was performing at the plaza when we arrived.
From the Casa Rural Roan farmhouse to the medieval Vilar das Donas church, then to Palas de Rei where the local orchestra was performing at the plaza when we arrived.
The next segment of the pilgrimage took us to Palas de Rei. We stayed at the Hotel Balneario Rio Pambre in the small village of Sambreixo several kilometers from Palas de Rei. Rico developed pain in one foot during our trek, and it got worse as we reached Palas de Rei. He was getting concerned that he might not be able to complete the pilgrimage. In Spain, business establishments, including the pharmacy in Palas de Rei, are typically closed in the early to mid-afternoon. We listened to the local orchestra perform at the town center and visited the old church, before returning to the pharmacy later to get the much needed arch support for Rico’s planter fasciitis. He was in fine hiking shape again by the following morning, walking steps ahead of us on our way to Melide.
Pulpo and other Galician dishes
All through our pilgrimage, we stopped at churches, restaurants and hotels to get our Camino pilgrims passports stamped. On our way to Melide, we had our Camino passports stamped at the small 14[sup]th[/sup] century Gothic church of Santa María de Leboreiro. In Melide, we tasted the most delicious pulpo (octopus) in a pulperia. Pulpo is a signature dish in this part of Spain.
From Palas de Rei to Melide, passing by the 14th century church of Santa María de Leboreiro, and meeting new friends along the way.
From Palas de Rei to Melide, passing by the 14th century church of Santa María de Leboreiro, and meeting new friends along the way.
The town of Arzua was our next destination after an overnight stay in Melide. The hike to Arzua took us through idyllic farms, forests, rivers and streams. Along the way, we encountered other hikers who became friends. We would see some of them once more upon our arrival in Santiago de Compostela and take some parting pictures with them. We had excellent accommodations and dinner at the Paso Santa Maria in Arzua with its beautiful pastoral surroundings, a much welcome respite after the long journey that day.
From Melide to Paso Santa Maria, our lodging in Arzua. We met more new friends along the way.
From Arzua we headed to O Pedrouzo. Hiking for 7 days had started to take its toll on us. We were quite relieved to reach our destination. We stayed at the O Muiño de Pena, a country house made of thick walls and large wooden beams. It used to be an old mill from the mid-1800’s. We were told that the country house has been in the family of the owners for generations since its construction. My room had a view of the river running through the woods. Before proceeding on our hike the following morning, the owner’s trained pet dog guided us on a brief walk along a path by the river.
An old country house by a small river, where we stayed for our overnight stop in O Pedrouzo.
We left O Pedrouzo on the 8[sup]th[/sup] day of our pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, the capital of Galicia. This was the last and longest stretch of our daily treks.
The plaza by the cathedral.
By the time we reached the capital, mind had taken over matter to muster the strength and stamina to reach the cathedral and climb the steps for a triumphal group picture to celebrate our achievement. Conveniently, the Hotel Rua Villar where we stayed in Santiago de Compostela is only steps away from the cathedral.
At the steps of the cathedral upon completion of the pilgrimage.
The following day, we heard mass at the cathedral. We were fortunate to attend a mass which used the Botafumeiro , a large metallic censer filled with incense. A Botafumeiro has been in use over the centuries during special religious celebrations. The censer is suspended from a mechanism in the dome and made to swing in a wide arc rising towards one side of the cathedral’s transept then back to the other side while the incense burns and fills the cathedral with smoke.
Inside the cathedral with the Botafumeiro , a large metallic censer filled with incense.
We obtained our certificates in Santiago de Compostela at the Pilgrim’s Office which accredits the religious pilgrimage. To get the credentials, we presented our passports with dated stamps from the different places we visited during the 8-day pilgrimage.
Finisterre on the western coast of Galicia, Spain.
From Santiago de Compostela, we visited other places by car. Rico drove us to the beach town of Muxia for lunch, then to Finisterre on the western coast of the Iberian Peninsula in Galicia. Finisterre was considered “the end of the earth” in Roman times, and thus its name.
We watched the beautiful sunset beyond the ocean at Finisterre before we retired in a seaside hotel for the night. The following day, we drove to Porto in Portugal. Then we went to Fatima, Bilbao, Pamplona, San Sebastian, and back to Bilbao, our home base for this segment of our trip. From Bilbao, we flew to Barcelona for a quick tour of the Catalonian capital and Monserrat, before going on our separate ways to fly back home.
Nowadays, thousands of hikers and pilgrims travel each year along the Camino de Santiago, either on foot, a bicycle, or even horseback. It could be a highly satisfying experience culturally, spiritually, physically and gastronomically. It certainly was for me.