HANKS TRAVEL BLOG

Last evening, after arriving at the London inn, I found some news paper to get my shoes dry for today. I hate starting the day in wet shoes. This pub is not serving dinner, as apparently the owner is away, so I walked a minute up to the next pub. A bit of a posh pub, but the sea bass fillets,boiled baby potatoes with local greens and clams was quite tasty. I was able to sit out doors as the weather had completely settled and the sun was shining. Wasn’t very warm, as there was a chilly wind blowing. Everyone else was inside, which puzzled me. Back to the inn to stack some zzzzzs. This morning,when I walked into the breakfast area,I noticed some well dressed business looking dudes looking me up and down. Maybe they thought I should have ironed my singlet. Stiff.I only ate half my breakfast of sausage, bacon, fried eggs, that have very pale yokes. Can’t wait to get back and eat fresh farm eggs. Also had some baked beans and black pudding, toast and tea. I need to eat less. I suppose I do burn it off. At least it keeps me going all day. And sometimes,unless you walk off the trail, there is nowhere to get anything. That’s ok,I have my trusty thermos, that’s all I need. The bus ride was only ten minutes, and I left most of my kit behind as I’m back at the inn tonight. It hadn’t rained at all over night as the roads were bone dry. I alighted the bus with great enthusiasm, wondering what the day would bring. It didn’t take long. Once I left the road and headed up a steep hill,I realised my enthusiasm had started before I left my room.I walked out without my walking poles. Damn.I have a light pack, so I’ll be fine, besides, I’ll lose a couple of hours if I go back now. And then it started to rain again.  And the rain was heavy. Amazing,maybe walk at night. My walking speed went down to a snail’s pace in some sections, as slippery slopes were hard to navigate without sticks. By the end of the day, I was pretty much drowned and tired, didn’t get as far as I would have liked to. Shit happens. I’ll leave earlier for the next few days to catch up, as I am on a time limit, and I have my accommodation to consider. Tomorrow morning I have over an hour bus travel to get to my starting point. I’m having Indian tonight. I just walked past on my way back to the inn and smells delicious. Need to get my shoes dry again. Hopefully better weather tomorrow 😌 🙏. Not many photos today. Can you believe it?I opened the window when I got into my room, and the sun is out.

After my shower and a well deserved rest, I joined the locals for a pint, and then enjoyed haddock fillets, battered with big chips for dinner. I have to laugh, as being who I am, I am able to hold an audience,a bit like our Em, even if I do talk shit. As long as we’re all having fun, who cares. Then at some point, someone asks me my age. Probably the only time, I’m telling the truth, and the only time when no one believes me. Funny that. Then I explain, stay young by walking, and enjoying. I’m happy to think, that it does inspire people. This morning after mueseli, fried eggs, sauted mushrooms, bacon, beans and tomatoes, toast and tea, I walked to the bus stop to catch a bus back to my starting point. I swapped buses at Broadway. I prefer to just walk, but having to do it this way, I do get to see a lot more. When I eventually started walking, the weather was superb. The walking was superb. I kept thinking, apart from the massive climbing along green pastures, and then steep down hill on natural stone paths, this is brilliant. However, that changed after walking through some stables, where the horses looked like Melbourne cup winners. The sky turned black,the thunder erupted, and the rain was coming side ways with a raging wind. It didn’t help missing a Cotswold sign and walking a mile the wrong way.I flagged down a motorist who took me back. When I got out of the car, the storm hit fiercely. He told me, he thought I was crazy to be walking. Thankfully my poncho was ready. Fifteen minutes later, the sun came out. As I walked to the top of the next big hill,it all happened again, but ten times worse. Incredible thunder under black angry clouds. Still at the top of the hill, there was no place to hide. Absolutely got smashed this time, including hail. By now, I’ve met Laurel,a local lass walking a day trip. We were happy not to be navigating this trip alone. It was now very slippery and quite dangerous trying to go down the slippery slopes. I was laughing, as I thought after yesterday, today would be boring. Quite the opposite. Eventually when Laura and I reached the bottom, and the weather settled, we said our good byes. I checked my phone, and I only had a forty minute walk to my accommodation. Happy to walk, than negotiating a bus.

This morning after mueseli, a cooked breakfast of scrambled eggs, sausage, sauted mushrooms, toast and tea,a full tank,I was ready to commence my Cotswold walk experience. The first bus to Chippen Campden is at nine forty. It’s seven kilometres.I could relax for an hour, and the bus might not turn up. I ring a taxi,there are three taxi companies in Blockley. Every company owns one taxi. Two don’t answer, and the third one has bookings, so forget that idea. I start walking, and hitch hike. No one trusts an aussie walking in a singlet. Can’t work that out. I just want to get to the starting point. Half hour in, and the rain starts, that’s ok, not heavy, walking conditions perfect. Cool weather,no traffic, country roads and natural paths,beautiful scenery, beautiful villages. The rain stopped, saw maybe half a dozen other walkers. Also saw local walkers. Found the start line,and off I went. I bought a guide book at the information centre  to add to my growing list of guide books, to look through whilst having a beer at the end of the day. According to my trusty guide book, Broadway is the end of the first stage. But I want to walk on.I went to the information centre to make sure I could get a bus back to Blockley. No worries. If I walk to Toddington,there’s a steam train back to Broadway, and bus to Bockley. I’m excited to walk the extra ten kilometres through the countryside just to ride on the steam train. I’m pushed for time, so let’s go. When I’m close, I’ve taken a wrong turn. Bad luck. I get to the top of a hill, and a road worker informs me of my mistake. Unfortunately, by the time I turn back, the train will have gone without me. As I start to trudge back down, wondering how I will get back to Bockley, Josh says, jump in,I’ll take you. We get to the train station with ten minutes to spare, and not a soul. The railway yards locked. Then I see a sign,Steam train to Broadway, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. Trouble is, today is Monday. The nob in the information centre failed to tell me that. Josh now seeing my dilemma, says he’ll take me back to Broadway to catch a bus to Bockley. Then rain starts falling, and he changes his mind and takes me back to Bockley. What a man. Whenever there is bad luck,somehow good luck follows. Had I not made a wrong turn, not sure what would have happened. A million thanks to my new friend Josh.I wanted to buy him a beer, but he declined and drove away.

Boy,how time flies. It’s been a week since I arrived in santiago de compostella. I had less than twenty hours in London, a few of those spent with Emily. The next morning I was on the train to Glasgow. The whole reason for that, was to ride the jacobite train from Fort William to Mallaig. It’s a steam train trip, world renowned. I walked part of it when I walked the west highland way. The train only runs in the summer, and I walked in the winter, so I was always coming back to tick it off. Unfortunately, not this year. The english government, in its wisdom, decided just before the summer time table came out, to modernise the door locks,which had serviced these beautiful carriages for the last one hundred and twenty odd years. So it will probably be winter before the job is done. When you try to purchase a ticket, all you get is,operating times tbc.to be confirmed. There are a lot of unhappy tour companies and punters like me. As far as tourism goes, the jacobite train is one of the jewels in the crown. So apart from checking out Glasgow and her bars,and a full day small bus group tour covering some of the areas I walked, plus more, I did enjoy my break. My train from Glasgow arrived back in London on Friday afternoon. I proceeded to an ATM ,to find my card was unacceptable. That’s ok, I have two back ups. No,they wouldn’t give me any money either. Maybe a crook ATM. No, other people could get money out. If I tell you what happened next, I will need fifty more pages to explain. Cut a long story short, I can tap,but I can’t get cash out. A bit annoying, but I can handle it. With AI in place, I can’t reach a real person to sort it. But that’s how the system operates, get used to it. Back in London, Emily cooked my dinner after sitting in an outside bar on a balmy London evening. The next day we had a big day walking the seven sisters. Another beautiful coastal walk, a couple of hours south of London. They are made of chalk and located on the english channel. We probably walked at least half or more of it. About twelve kilometres in total.Sunday,Em made me a nice egg and salami and other nice ingredient wrap in the fry pan.I repacked my kit ready for my Cotswold walk. Emily wasn’t  feeling one hundred percent, so we relaxed and played a game of cards till it was time for me to catch three different trains, a bus, and a half hours walk to Bockley for my accommodation, before catching a bus to the starting line tomorrow morning. The weather has been incredible the last few  weeks in the UK. This week on the Cotswold, the forecast is rain almost every day and temperatures between thirteen and seventeen. Maybe I should have done it last week. We’ll see what happens. I’m always singing that crowded house song, everywhere you go,always take the weather with you.

Santiago de compostella is a vibrant place with many thousands of pilgrims coming and going daily. Sunday morning after breakfast, I strolled around the square,  constantly gazing up at the cathederal. It’s massive, it’s amazing. It’s absolutely beautiful. It’s mystique. And that’s only looking at the outside. I then met with Helen and Mark, and Karen and Donna queued for one and a half hours before the pilgrims mass at twelve o’clock. There were many hundreds in front of us,and many, many hundreds behind us. When we finally filed into this monstrous magnificent building, we had to run and scramble to get a seat. Having been there before, I knew where to go to get a reasonable view of the Botafumeiro in action. Google it,it is an amazing experience. After mass, I didn’t see the American sisters Karen and Donna again. Mark Helen and I said our good byes, but we did manage to run into each other three more times. One of those times was when we ran into Adrian and Linda from Yeppoon. Haven’t seen them for ages. In the afternoon, I made my way back to the albergue, collected my pack, and made my way to the train station. By seven pm, I was at my accommodation in A Cohuna, where I will fly from at six thirty in the morning to London and catch up with our daughter Emily. Then to Scotland for a restful few days before tackling the Cotswold walk in England. I will put the pen and paper away now for a week and start my blog when I commence the Cotswold. Thank you for your comments and inspiration. I do respond,but not sure if they are going through.I have been on a wonderful journey so far.

This morning, Mark, Helen and I left together as one to finish what we started together five weeks ago. It seems like a lifetime ago since we met at Gatwick airport after I was trying to clamber over barbed wire to start my journey. Also amazing how time passed so quickly. Again, up hill down hill on natural paths and country roads. Passing through lots of eucalypt forests. The first half reasonably easy, the last half not so easy on pavement through the city streets leading to santiago. The weather very kind under clouded skies. The humidity was high, but the cool breezes very comforting.Once I spotted the cathederal, I started to choke up,knowing my emotions would take over. All the reflections from the last thirty five days, all the pilgrims that have become part of who I am,knowing I will probably never see them again. Today is a day of celebration. Tomorrow I will go back to where I came from. Hopefully I will be wiser for the experience. After celebrating in the square with Mark and Helen, we headed to the pilgrim’s office and collected our compostella. Then a cup of tea, and Helen and Mark went to find their albergue. I stayed to enjoy a phone call from my family. I then had a bowl of galician soup for lunch with bread. Feeling exhausted, I then found my albergue and showered and rested. This evening, I walked back to the cathederal, joined my now beautiful American sisters, Mark and Helen for drinks, then the poms went for their special dinner, while the girls and I did likewise.

Sitting in the albergue beer garden, having a coldie with Mark and Helen went down very well. Dinner was a generous salad, bolognaise, and cheese cake, swallowed down with the help of some very nice vino and bread. Like usual, I slept well. This morning left early, as a long day ahead and going to be warm. Second last day and prefer to walk almost thirty ks today, leaving twenty tomorrow. With all the extra pilgrims now having joined the way from other caminos,del norte and primitivo, the day packs, and because Sunday is a holy day, Pentecost, which commemorates the descent of the holy spirit upon the apostles and other followers of Jesus, which empowered them to spread the word.  Many religious people will walk a two or three day pilgrimage to be in santiago de compostella on this weekend to celebrate,with prayer in this holy city. Also pilgrims drinking and celebrating their achievement. So the road is going to be packed tomorrow. Many impatient pilgrims will be praying a different way, by means of, Jesus why are there so many bloody pilgrims on the way. Today was much like yesterday, no shortage of hills, up and down. Some reasonably steep. Lots of wooded paths sheltered from the sun. Also crossing the main highway on occasions, at least mostly going under the highway via viaducts. Nice and cool as I left the albergue. Would not have enjoyed if I had to walk in the sun all day, as by the end I was happy to relax in my tent after a steaming hot and then a freezing cold shower. Yeah, a pilgrim camping site with tents. A double bed, very comfy. A fan for warm weather, and electric blanket for cold weather. This evening I’ll be sitting outside having a beer and pizza for dinner as it is quite warm. Mark sussed out the pizzas and found out they were frozen and reheated, so we gave that idea a miss. Ended up next door at a restaurant. I enjoyed calamari and salad.I must have had one too many vinos as I had the wobbly boot on coming back.I’ll look for an early night to walk the last leg. Amazing, how quick the time has gone. So much has happened. Met so many wonderful people from all over the world. Sorry my friend Jeff couldn’t finish this with me.

This morning, I didn’t want to leave the flash place I had fallen in love with as soon as I arrived. I requested a kettle from my inn keeper, and he was gone and back in a flash with a jug. Brilliant. Five minutes from bars and restaurants, I could easily have stayed a week. When I finally tore myself away this morning,  it was already warming up. No fog, no rain, just brilliant sunshine. I came across three of the siblings during peak hour, but hard to spot familiar faces. I walked with them for a short time but decided to go alone. More hills, manageable, and as many down hills. Funny about that. When I arrived at Melide, I just had to stop at the restaurant that does octopus. Melide is very famous for this delicacy. I joined a young spanish couple, who spoke very little english. We managed to order a plate of octopus and a plate of pig’s ears. Sounds off, but tastes good. My hearing actually improved. We said our beun camino and look forward to catching up again. Walking today was mostly on natural paths in wooded areas, sheltering from the sunshine. With the sun filtering through the landscape, walking was very pleasant. Before arriving at Boentie,my destination for the day, I did stop several times to enjoy the scenery, and nice to remove the pack from my back. I’m back in an albergue with twelve beds. It’s a nice one with bar and restaurant. I have stayed here on a previous occasion. Helen and Mark are also in the village of Boente at a different albergue. We will catch up later for a drink and dinner. Some of the day pack pilgrims obviously don’t even know what the yellow arrows and markers mean,because they can be standing on or next to a large yellow arrow showing the way,  looking at their google maps for directions. Also the people that move the luggage, are making a fortune. It costs seven euro seventy cents to have one bag or suitcase shifted daily. We are talking twenty to twenty five kilometres. There are heaps of people doing this in their vans and station wagons. They cram them in, and off they go.

Last night, after a drink with Helen and Mark and some other pilgrims, I went to a nice restaurant and had salad entrèe,a beef stew and chips. Actually the Spanish call it stew,we in Australia would call it pieces of pulled beef. It was very nice. I finished with ice cream again and vino of course. I slept ok in the albergue of around fourteen beds. There are always snorers that wake you, but you manage to get back to sleep. Mark woke me at six as we were leaving early to miss the day packs. I knew that maybe miss some,  there will be many out there, so go past and enjoy. They left before me. I had a couple of really nice experiences this morning. I rang Gayle from the kitchen in the albergue this morning for her birthday, where three south Korean ladies were having breakfast. The south Korean people are friendly enough, but apart from beun camino, they don’t talk. Just a warm friendly smile. But that changed this morning. Gayle insisted I sing happy birthday. I sang quietly not to disturb the ladies. However,half way through, they realised what was happening, and in full voice, joined my singing. That was really special.I then walked outside and very chilly you couldn’t see the sky as the fog was thicker than I have seen. Once out and crossing the river of Portomarin,the hill climbing started. The first hill was on natural paths. After a village, the next hill was huge along bitumen. I found my first swarm of south Korean day packs here. Probably twenty five, all having the same colour ribbon on their pack to recognise them for the tour guide I guess. As I went through at great speed, I shouted, come join me. Two guys in their fifties joined me stride for stride. The first one lasted, maybe fifty metres. The second bloke screaming at him to keep going without luck. After about two hundred metres, old mate was still with me, stride for stride. At this point I couldn’t see the top of the hill for the fog,but I knew there was still a long way to go and I wasn’t going to let him beat me. He kept with me for another hundred I reckon, and then stopped and buckled over, and with no air in his lungs, I could barely hear him say,you win.I hugged him,said beun camino, and left him to resuscitate himself. I charged on, and when I got to the top, turning around, I could only see fog. Again a special moment. It was probably ten ks on before the first cafe arrived, and I was quite ready for a break and some food. After I left here I was still on the alternative route away from the road on natural paths. Another huge hill, and I found the two American sisters, Karen and Donna. We walked for the rest of the day together and pleasantly chatted and walked in lovely sunny conditions. There wasn’t a shortage of climbing  and plenty down hill. Nothing  I couldn’t handle,  I guess. But glad to find my pension and get the pack off. This place is brand new. The double bed is the most comfy I have had. I  washed all my clothes as  weather warming up the sweat is coming back. After a really nice shower, I relaxed. Later, I met up with my American friends for a drink, and we had an awesome meal. Garlic prawns, and a big steak and chips. No vino or dessert. A first I think. I caught up with a few other pilgrims, ex copper David and his siblings, Adrian, the dutchie, my new friend Father Jack, and others. As I was making my way back to the pension, a French pilgrim said he was impressed the way I handle myself whilst walking. I hugged and thanked him. Nice feedback. It’s almost nine in the evening,and sitting in a bar outside is just divine. The sky is blue and the sun is still beaming. And no shortage of people.

I caught up with Helen and Mark, and like me, we were knackered. Not only because of today, but it’s now been thirty odd days of busting your arce through hell and back. I’m definitely not complaining, it’s been very rewarding and very satisfying. I could see Helen was ready for a good night’s sleep. After a couple of drinks, they headed back to their patch and me back to mine. It’s almost nine pm. Crickey, time most pilgrims are snoring and farting. But I’m not ready to go to sleep. It’s on dusk and the locals are out and about, so I stop at a patisserie have some grub and another beer. I then stop at one of the dozen or so more bars that are rocking with plenty of punters and have a cup of tea and some cheese cake. It’s now ten pm and I think I should walk the kilometre back and get to bed to prepare myself for tomorrow’s walk. I slept well. As I leave my hostal,after a nice hot shower, there are heavy clouds,but not icy cold like it has been. Leaving Sarria I don’t see many pilgrims,until I get outside the town area. Holyy shit!!wall to wall day packs on backs. Looks more like the boxing day sales at a major shopping centre than the camino. Swarms of them like flies gathering around cow shit. So, I’m out of here. As I was climbing, I kept getting past a swarm before the next swarm. Then I thought, what the heck, as I settled into my walk. Apart from some country roads, a lot also on natural paths. On occasions rain started, but only lasting a minute. So no need for poncho. The wind however, did keep temperatures down. After ten kilometres I saw the first cafe for the day, and decided to walk by. Mark spotted me amongst the aliens 👽 🤣, so I went in to tell him that I didn’t like this cafe, he agreed when he found out you could only buy coffee from a vending machine. Helen, Mark and I left there and stopped at the next cafe, about four kilometres on. A much better cafe, but it took a while to get served. That is how our camino will end, so get used to it. On the afternoon run into Portomarin, we did chat with american sisters Karen and Donna, sunshine coast sisters Christene and Jane, mother and daughter Vicki and Sophie, also from Australia, and some others. Also the way did seem to thin out a lot. I guess it will be much the same over the next few days. The many vendors set up along the trail are selling much merchandise as you would see at a football game.