<<< Mladifest.com - Medjugorje <<< ..(international youth  festival Medjugorje)

Select language:..

SLO

ENG

HR

  Camino de Santiago de compostela - route guide 
Spanish St. James's Way - guide to the route
detailed description of the pilgrimage route

>>> Route description by days - route guide >>>

>>> Interactive map with pilgrimage route >>>

>>> Topographic map with pilgrimage route >>>

>>> Webcams on the route >>>

>>> Photos from St. James's route - Camino >>>

>>> Presentation of the route - Camino >>>

Description of St. James's pilgrimage route

Camino - Pilgrimage to Santiago de compostela
is one of the most famous pilgrimage routes in the world. It starts in the south of France under the Pyrenees, not so far from Lourdes and take s place through the Pyrenees, then crosses Spain in the direction from east to west to the Atlantic Ocean. People went on this pilgrimage route in the Middle Ages, then not for a while, but lately this pilgrimage route has been visited en masse again. Most pilgrims go on this route on foot, many also by bicycle and some by horse. They start from different places, some from home and most from Saint Jean Pied de port in southern France, so this route is called the "French route" (Camino frances). The basic route (Saint Jean pp - Santiago) is 816 kilometers long, but if we continue to Finistere 905 and Muxia, 940 kilometers. This distance is not entirely accurate and may be slightly different due to several variants on individual sections (765 - 940). In addition to the French route, there are a few other routes, that are less well known, e.g. the Portuguese route, the Camino norte, the northern route, Primitivo, across the mainland..., which is only visited by a small number of pilgrims. On this page is a description of the most famous French route.
In Santiago de compostela is buried the apostle Saint James, more about him:

Apostle James the Great
was one of the twelve apostles and the brother of the apostle - the evangelist John. Their parents were Zebedee and Salome (Mary's sister), so he was a relative of Jesus. Jacob and John (along with their father) made a living by fishing in Bethsaida on the Lake of Gennesaret, and in religious terms they were disciples of John the Baptist.
Then Jesus invited them to join him, and they became his apostles. Together with John and Peter, St. James had a special place next to Jesus (conversion on the mountain). St. James spent many years in the territory of present-day Spain and Portugal, where he preached the gospel. After the ascension of Jesus on Pentecost, each apostle was assigned a land to preach the teachings of Jesus. St. James was instructed to go proclaim "on the end of the world" - the Iberian Peninsula. (At that time they did not yet know about America, etc.)
Once upon a time in the port of Muxia (our pilgrimage route is concluded here) apostle James was supposed to be visited by Mary, who came here by merchant ship. In this place is now a church in this memory. Because he was not very successful in preaching on the Iberian Island, and at the invitation of Mary, he returned to Judea in 40 AD.
James was the first apostle, who died a martyr's death : in 43 or 44, Herod Agrippa had him imprisoned, flogged, and beheaded with a sword in Jerusalem.
After his death, two of his disciples transported his corpse by ship to Spain, to the port of Padron (about 40 km southwest of Santiago) and then by land to the place where Santiago de Compostela now lies, where he was buried. (Santiago = Saint James). Then his grave was forgotten for a long time, and after the liberation from the Moors, a church and a monastery were built there, and a city grew around it.
In the Middle Ages, people from all over Europe began a pilgrimage to the tomb of the apostles, and Santiago was one of the three main pilgrimage destinations, along with Rome and the Holy Land. When the Holy Land was no longer accessible due to the Crusades, Santiago gained even more power. Then the pilgrimages died out for a few centuries, and recently, especially after 1989, when Pope John Paul II visited this place, people are again leaving en masse on this pilgrimage route.
This is today a well-known and important pilgrimage route for pilgrims from all over Europe and elsewhere ...
James the Great celebrates on July 25 and is considered the patron saint of pilgrims. That is why he is depicted as a pilgrim with the Holy Scriptures, a cloak, a hat and a walking stick.

The reasons why people take this route
are not just religious. In fact, the pilgrims, who goes to the Camino (as this pilgrimage is called) are only a minority for religious reasons. Those, who go for religious reasons, have the opportunity to visit the Holy Mass every evening, all the way, at least in larger places, and when have done, they go to the tomb of the apostle James.
Most pilgrims go on a trip for various reasons: mainly the desire for change, walking in nature, socializing with new people, losing weight, meeting new places, sports, a little different vacation, and to avoid work, school, to avoid crazy pace,... most of them for a little mixed reasons of all of them and all of course voluntarily, somehow similar to why people go to the mountains... Many people say. that you have to be a little “truncated” to walk almost 1,000km, but no, pilgrims have, on average, a more "tidy attic" than most normal people. Among the pilgrims are people of various religions, most of them are of course Catholics, but there are also many Evangelicals , some Orthodox christians, Muslims and many atheists.
Pilgrims come from various countries of the world: most of them are Italians, Spaniards, French, Germans, Americans, Scandinavians, English, Portuguese , Poles and South Koreans, a few Slovenes, Croatians and here and there some Russian, Chinese, African, Bulgarian, Arab, Australian, a Hungarian, ...
Regardless of where someone is from, why he went on a trip and what position we has in society, pilgrims understands each other well.

Pilgrimage or tourism?
The pilgrimage is as the pilgrim makes it himself. If someone will take the route more easily, that is a little walking, little use of public transport, taking a lot of time for various other activities and less for walking, visits to bars, then it is really more and more touristy. In various printed guides for pilgrims, the route is presented more in this form, especially "walking from town to town", ie spending the night in a larger or smaller town, walking through the countryside and hills, and then spending the night in a larger place again... so that on a pilgrimage like this you fall right into a bigger crowd and it’s really getting more and more touristy.
However, you can overlook these guides, and walk a little differently: you spend the night somewhere in the country and /or in the hills/mountains (where are also accommodations), then you go through the cities and towns in the middle of the day (buy everything you need in the store) and spend the night somewhere in the country. Such a pilgrimage is quite different: you are often on the road alone, and meet only small groups or individuals, those are real pilgrims. This way of pilgrimage is often chosen by more experienced pilgrims - returnees. On the way, you are exactly a half of the day away from the annoying crowds. Pilgrims walk along the path in a kind of waves (in the morning a larger crowd starts from a larger town, and then are on the way a few people all day, and so on). And even in smaller accommodations (pilgrimage hostles) in the countryside, everything is different , as in cities. In the afternoon or evening, we can take a little walk in the beautifull nature... And if you still follow a certain order, do not cheat when walking, then this route is anything but not a tourism. We can a beautifull experience along the way, meet interesting people...

Is this pilgrimage supposed to change a person?
Many have already heard: that people are supposed to come back from this path completely changed, different... Is that true? I don't think anything special, you come back from the way suchs as you went there, you are just a few kilograms lighter .
However, while walking, you get used to the fact, that the clock is not the most important thing in the world. You don’t make any real plans about walking through the days and still get far, and finally to the finish line, some day sooner or later. You become a true pilgrim once you understand that the goal is not in the Santiago de compostela, but in Saint Jean p.p. in France, the goal becomes your path itself. When you go on such a journey several times, towards the end of the pilgrimage it becomes quite close to you, because you know, that you will have to go home soon... You don't feel it on the first pilgrimage, but with each subsequent one more and more. With each subsequent pilgrimage, the pilgrimage seems shorter and the distances shorter.

Description of the St. Jeams pilgrimage route - "Camino de Santiago de compostela":
The first part of the route from Saint Jean France to Pamplona in Spain take place through the mountain world of the Pyrenees. Often in this part we are surprised by bad weather, rain, fog, wind, mud, sometimes sun. The weather here is changing fast. It may be cloudy in the valley and sunny in the Pyrenees. First is a considerable ascent, and then a descent into the valley. The French part of the Pyrenees is almost bare, without trees, overgrown only with grass, where  are many pastures, lower are cows, and at higher elevation are sheep. On the Spanish side, the Pyrenees are overgrown with dense oak forests. There are no conifers.
The second part of the route from Pamplona to Burgos take place through a hilly landscape with many shorter ascents and descents, between villages and smaller towns. The landscape is full of grain fields, vineyards and wind power plants. The weather in this part is usually nicer, sunny.
Third, the longest part of the route, from Burgos, via Leon to Astorga, take place mostly along the flat landscape - the Spanish Meseta, on elevation of 800-900 n/m. This is not a perfect flat landscape, the landscape is always varied, full of grain fields, lonely paths. According to some pilgrims, some of them traveled this part of the route, or a part of this part of the route by train or by bus. It is a pity, because this part of the route is the most beautiful, the most calm, there are no tourists. The weather here is mostly nice and the hottest and driest.
The fourth part of the route from Astorga to Sarria take place over the mountain world with some considerable ascents and descents. Especially on the mountains  is a beautiful, because there are full flowers and a beautiful view of the neighboring mountains and hills and to the distant landscape.
The fifth part of the route from Sarria to Santiago take place through in a varied landscape with hils an walleys. The weather here is quite changeable, humid, it often rains or fog lingers, temperatures are significantly lower. In this part of route is no real calm anymore, because it is full of pilgrims - tourists (those, who walk only the last 100km or 150, 200km of the route). Here, among the pilgrims, is a competition for vacancies in accommodation, etc ...
The sixth part of the route from Santiago to Finisterre and Muxia is similar to the previous part in terms of landscape and weather. But there is path again peaceful, because only a few pilgrims go to this part of the route, so there is no crowd.
The first part of the route from the Pyrenees to Logronjo we walk in the province of Navarre. It is the Basque part of Spain. The villages and towns are full of flowers. The central and longest part of the route take place through the province of Castilla. It is a hundreds of kilometers long flat landscape on the Meseta plateau, located at about 800 meters above sea level. In distant history, here was once a large lake, this can be seen from the shape of the rocks and soil (gravel, clay, lack of limestone). The last part of the route take place through the province of Galicia, which descends towards the Atlantic Ocean. The inhabitants of Galicia are of Celtic descent (relatives of the Irish and Scots). This can be seen in the way it is built, and even more so in the culture of the locals, especially the music. Pipes are a national symbol here, and they play on them almost everywhere ...

How to get to the beginning of the rote and return to home?
First we have to reach Saint Jean pied de port, where begins our way. It is a town under the Pyrenees in southern France. We have to get Biarritz Airport near the Bayonne and then continue by local train for an hour to Saint Jean p.p. However, we can also reach one of the other airports, up to 150 km away, which are: Bordeaux, Pau, Lourdes and San Sebastian.
Return home is similar. Due to the lower cost of the plane, some people send their luggage home by mail.
It is more convenient for pilgrims from some parts of Europe to travel by bus or by train.

How much does this trip cost us?
If we are a little more modest on the way, ie we spend the night in cheaper pilgrimage accommodation, we mostly buy food in the store and choose cheaper transport for the trip, the cost will be around 1,000 € for pilgrims from west and central Europe, but for pilgrims from elsewhere, must be added additional transport costs.  We carry some money with us, but we pick up most of it at ATMs along the way. All debit and credit cards work at ATMs (Maestro, Mastercard, Visa, American express, etc ...).

How long have to walking?
The main route from Saint Jean p.p. to Santiago is 765 to 816 km long (in some parts we can choose a subvariants, so the distances are a little different), which we cross in 20 to 26 days. Then an additional 5 to 6 days to Finistere and Muxia, and a few days to stay in Santiago. One month all together and few days to return home. Every day we walk an average of 25 to 35 kilometers.

What to we take on the trip?
As little as possible, all together a maximum of 10 kilograms. Exactly what we really need: a backpack, two sets of light clothes (one we wear and the other we wash), a sleeping bag, toiletries, phone and charger, bank card, some money, passport, small plastic dish and cutlery fot preparation of salad, raincoat and small umbrella, thinner jacket (this also applies in summer!), anorak, buttons for drying clothes (about 5 pieces), pencil, hat or cap, suncreme, sunglasses, patches for blisters, small knife, needle and thread, 1 liter plastic bottle for water, inconvenient insurance is also recommended. Hiking poles are not needed, because the path is quite easy and safe.

Accommodation for pilgrims
Pilgrimage accommodation in pilgrimage hostels for overnight stays intended exclusively for pilgrims on this route, who meet the conditions for them. They have a subsidized price, no sojourn tax,  pilgrims sleep in larger rooms, with multiple bunk beds, as in the mountain lodges. We have toilets, showers, and in some places kitchens or restaurants too. Somewhere we sleep on pillows on the floor.
Pilgrimage hostels is called in Spanish "Albergue de peregrino" or in French "Refuxio de pelerin". They are divided into:
- parish owned, their label is Parroisial (these are the best: we usually have there common dinner, sometimes breakfast and we pay a voluntary contribution)
- state-municipal owned, their label is Municipal or ACAG (here we get only accommodation, shower, but not food, in some places is a kitchen for individual use, they are cheap)
- private, those have different labels (are most expensive, usually have a restaurant)
There are special rules in these accommodations: we can only be in each of them for one night, then we have to move on. In the evening we have go to bed no later than 10 pm, and the next morning we have to go on the way no later than 8 am. Clothes we mostly washed by hand, and in some places it is possible to wash in the washing machine and / or dryer at an additional cost. Most of the bedrooms have bunk beds, where we have to use a sleeping bag.

When to go on a trip?
The Camino is walked on flat landscape, in cities, in the countryside, on the hills, on the mountains and at the ocean. For ordinary pilgrims, who are not looking for any special conditions, it is best to go for easier walking, when is no snow in the mountains, when is less rain, because the path in the rain is too muddy, not too hot and not too crowded. The best times are late spring, late summer and early fall. It is too early, especially in the Pyrenees, for winter and snow, followed by the rainy season, especially in the first part of the route, followed by a fairly dry period, which is most suitable for walking. In the middle of summer is heat and a big crowd, followed by a suitable period again and finally a rainy autumn with short, cold days and winter that are not suitable for the trip. The best time to go, is the second part of May and most of June and then the second part of August and the first part of September. It is completely inappropriate, however, to go on a journey from late October to early April.
According to some data, the footpath across the Pyrenees is closed from 1 November to 31 March. This rules was chosen because there were too many accidents among pilgrims at that time. At that time, it is only possible to go from Saint Jean p.p. to the Spain by road, which goes through the valley and across the Ibanjeta pass.

Route map

 
.

Route description by days - route guide
(if it doesn't show you all the pictures, but only the blank squares, press the F5 key in the top row)

1.) Arrival in Saint Jean pied de port:

When you get to the station by bus or by train, go up on a wide street to the old town and climb on the stairs to a narrow street and up to the top, where on the left side is a pilgrimage office. Usually several pilgrims are on the station, and you just follow them to the office :). If it is currently closed, we wait a bit, or. we look at the schedule. (every day: 7:30 - 12:00, 13:30 - 20:15, and Fri + Sun: 21:30 - 23:00). Inside is a long table, at which sits officials. We have to fill the form, and they give us various instructions about the route, especially across the Pyrenees, we receive a pilgrimage passport (booklet) - "Credencial de Peregrino", in which we collect stamps on the way, and with it we can go to a pilgrimage hostels. In addition, we get a list of pilgrimage hostels, some directions, etc.
Attention: Due to all possible frauds in walking (bus, renting taxis,…), which are used by some pilgrims, we now require, that we have at least two stamps for each day we are on the way in the pilgrimage book - one from the pilgrimage hostel and more one from the other, eg. from a church, bar or checkpoint along the way. Maybe someone will say, “what about me, since I’m not going on a trip because of a certificate or stamps ...” But that’s not entirely true. When you go on this trip, you have to accept certain rules and if you follow them, you also receive some benefits subsidized by the EU, ie you are exempt from tourist taxes, tax-free accommodation, subsidizing pilgrimage accommodation, arranging the route itself, in some places discounts for pilgrims menus,... Therefore, this control has been considerably tightened recently, especially in the last part of the route and even more in the direction to Finisterre and Muxia. However, not all of these subsidies are intended for traditional tourism, where the full price with all taxes must be paid everywhere. Anyone who would like to be a tourist, should go to a hotel. Pilgrimage hostels are accommodation intended exclusively for pilgrims on this route, that meet the conditions for them. They have a subsidized price, no tourist tax, and pilgrims sleeps in a larger rooms, with more beds, much like in the mountain lodges. They have toilets, showers, and in some places kitchens or restaurants. Pilgrimage hostels are named in spanish "Albergue de peregrino" or in french "Refuxio de pelerin".

When we do these things, we can find accommodation for today, because we usually go on a trip tomorrow morning. In the town is enough accommodation, but we can go to the "municipal" (state-based) pilgrimage hostel, which is a little higher on the same street, almost at the city gate (Rua Citadelle 55). If here is no more free places, then we go to someone else on the same street backward, down. If we arrive in Saint Jean p.p. late in the afternoon, we have to book accommodation by phone or internet in advance. In the afternoon we buy food for tomorrow, see the town, go to church, etc. If we are lucky that the Holy Mass is in the church on this day, we can go to the Holy Mass in the evening (at 18:30), after the Mass, there is a blessing of the pilgrims. In France (and whole Europe) is a shortage of priests, so there is no mass every day, because several parishes share one priest.  But if we arrive in Saint Jean pp in the morning, as soon as we finish at the pilgrimage office, we can already go on the way to the first accommodation in the Pyrenees: Orrison or to Roncesvalles.

2.) Route across the Pyrenees - (Saint Jean pied de port - Pamplona)
In this part of the route are a large number of pilgrims on the route. often a long column of pilgrims is drawn from Saint Jean pp towards the Pyrenees, and even later quite a few people are on the way. The weather in the Pyrenees changes quickly, and often on the top is shrouded in fog. It can be dangerous during storms.

We get up at 6am in the morning, get breakfast at the hostel, meet other pilgrims, who usually come from all over the world... and then we go down on the street, past the church, over the bridge and through the city gates (Spanish Gate). ). Here’s the fork in the route: we usually go left along the “Napoleon footpath,” which goes across the Pyrenees. (in case of very bad weather, storms or snow, we can go right here along the road that goes along the valley to the Ibanjeta pass, and further along the road to Roncesvalles, where is a monastery and a larger pilgrimage hostel.

Route across the Pyrenees: We leave Saint Jean pp at the city gate "Spanish Gate" and look at the signs, or we follow the other pilgrims. In the beginning, the rote climbs rapidly along the asphalt road past individual farms. Along the route are pastures, where cows graze.
Over a time, the road becomes slightly flatter. After about two hours, we reach the bar and the first accommodation along the way - pilgrimage hostel Orrison, which is also the last building to the top. If you plan to spend the night here, it is advisable to book in advance on tel. +33 63 826 97 38. Accommodation there is not too cheap, but we also get dinner and breakfast.

We continue along the winding asphalt road. There is often a fog, but if there is not, than is a beautiful view to the valley and to the peaks of Pyrenees. After a while, we see a statue of Mary's statue slightly to the left of the road. Often at this elevation we get out of the fog, if it is foggy, or vice versa... In the higher part of the path are sheep on pastures instead of cows, also here the landscape is completely bare - no trees or shrubs, only grass grows. We finally reach thr Cross on right side of the road.

Here we leave the road and go right, climb up on a steep footpath. Often in this part the route is quite muddy. After a short ascent, we reach the top, where  are unusual large stone cubes. We soon reach a fence with barbed wire on the right (this is the border between France and Spain). We soon reach a well, where we can pour water, and immediately after it, we go through the rest of the gate in the fence and we are already in Spain. From here we go through the oak forest to a small house, which now serves as an emergency shelter in case of a storm. From here is only a short ascent to the top. If the weather is nice,  is a nice view to the neighboring peaks, back and forth into the lowland. But can be fog, cold, rain and wind here. We are at an altitude of about 1,600 n/m. The descent to the Spanish side follows.

Here the route splits into two parts, and we choose the path that we think is more suitable for us, and after both we come to Roncesvalles - a small village with a large monastery on the Pyrenees: in the left direction the route descends steeply through an oak forest to the aforementioned village. This route is shorter and is recommended in nice, dry weather. In the rain, however, it is dangerous to walk here and the right direction is more appropriate, which goes along a gentle wide footpath to the Ibanjeta pass, where we come to a chapel on the road, that coming from the direction of France. Another 2 kilometers of descent along a gentle asphalt road and we reach Roncesvalles. From here to Santiago is 790 km. Roncesvalles is a small village at an altitude of about 1,200m. In the monastery are two bars with a restaurant and a larger new pilgrimage hostel, but here is no shop. According to the new law, it is desirable to book accommodation and, if desired, dinner / breakfast in advance on the Internet: http://alberguederoncesvalles.com/ Every evening is a Holly mass and blessing of pilgrims in the monastery church. Below the road is a larger old building, that was a barn and until a few years ago served as a pilgrimage hostel. If we want to have dinner in one of the restaurants, it is necessary to book it a few hours in advance or even better at the same time as accommodation on the Internet. For the pilgrimage menu, the price is € 11, but you get two dishes: usually pasta macaroni or mixed salad and potatoes with meat or fish, dessert and good Spanish wine. Different combinations are possible. Dinner is after the Holy Mass.

We leave Roncesvalles along the road and follow the footpath through the woods to the next village of Burgete, followed by Espinal and Bizkareta (Spanish Viscarette). These are smaller medieval villages on the Pyrenees with narrow streets and a church. Here are pilgrimage hostels (Espinal) and shops (Burgette, Viscarrete - Bizkareta). The route descends through deciduous forests, which consist mainly of oak and various shrubs. In case of bad weather, this part of the route is very muddy and it is better to go where is possible along the road, which in mostlx not so far from the route.

We are in the Basque region of Navarre, where the names of the villages sometimes have quite unusual names, as well as various combinations of the letters T, Z, K, X, B and bilingual signs. The houses in this part are richly decorated with flowers.

We reach the valley at the small town of Zubiri, which lies along the main road leading to Pamplona. Here are a few pilgrimage hostels and shops. A little further from the town is a large asphalt factory on the right side.

From here we follow on the footpaths with several smaller ascents and descents over the hills, near the river, through the valley to the larger town of Pamplona, ​​25 km away. On the route to Pamplona are a few smaller places with pilgrimage accommodation, ​​especially in the village of Larrasoanja, which is the first next, followed by Zuriain, which is near the bridge over the river and Zabaldika, which is a good choice if you want to avoid spending the night in the city Pamplona. Zabaldika is a small village on a hill, in solitude, about 10 kilometers before Pamplona. There is one of the better parish hostels, otherwise on a hill, about a kilometer out of the way. The valley descends towards Pamplona, ​​and our route goes not far from the road, and crosses it a few times.

We get to the suburbs of Pamplona over an arched bridge in Arre, followed by Villava and Burlada, which are quite a decent independent town, but all the way to the real Pamplona, ​​which has about 150,000 inhabitants. In Villava, of course, in addition to other offers, there is also a pilgrimage hostel. After a few kilometers of walking around the city, we come to a city in the ancient city walls on a hill - this is Pamplona. Pamplona is a larger city, known mainly for bullfights and the annual running of people in front of wild bulls through the city streets. They run this race every year on the feast of St. Fermin, from July 7, followed by various events until July 14. If we are on a pilgrimage here at this time, we can also attend this ... But no one guarantees us that we will stay whole, nor that we will stay alive. Every year, some are injured and sometimes even dead. Therefore, on this day, all pilgrimage hostels in Pamplona are closed as a precaution to keep as few people as possible. Saint Fermin was born in Pamplona in the third century.
We enter Pamplona through the city walls in the city door with a well-preserved mechanism. We come into the old town with narrow streets. Among other things, the city has several churches, full of shops and pilgrimage hostels. The Cathedral is open to the visitors, where you have to pay an entrance fee to enter, except  at the time of Holy Mass. We leave the city through the park.

3.) The hilly landscape of Navarre (Pamplona - Burgos)
We finally left the last remnant of the Pyrenees behind and we continue in the wavy and hilly landscape of Navarre and La Rioja begins with smaller hills all the route to a long plateau called Meseta in the central Spain. The landscape here is sown with many grain fields, vineyards, and the hills are full of wind power plants to produce electricity. This part of Spain produces the good red wine - "vino tinto". This wine is strong, slightly sweet and, despite overdoing it, does not cause any health problems.

We leave the Pamplona through the park and partly along the road, partly along the footpath to the nearby village of Cizur Menjor, where on the left side is a small castle with a monastery of Maltese monks, who also have a pilgrimage hostel.

From here we go left along a footpath that climbs towards a ridge full of wind powerplants. The ascent is laid first, and from the village of Zariquiegui onwards it is steeper. In case of bad weather, this part of the route can be very muddy, occasionally there are also minor landslides.

After about an hour and a half we reach the top of the "Alto de perdon", where is a monument of pilgrims. It is a life-size column carved from iron slabs by pilgrims on foot, on horseback and on donkeys. From here is the last look back to Pamplona and then look forward to the endless landscape, all sown with grain fields. Often here is quite windy.

We descend to the other side along a footpath among the bushes into the valley, and then along a fairly flat section through the smaller villages of Uterga, Muruzabal and Obanos. The first two villages are smaller, with only one street of cramped houses on each side, and Obanos is slightly larger with a mighty church in the center. There are also shops and pilgrimage hostel.

Then we descend to the road, and reach a larger town - Puente la Reina. The town lies along a larger river, and was named after a large arched bridge over the river at the exit of the town. The town is medieval with narrow streets. There are several pilgrimage hostels, shops, churches and bars. We are in one of the part of route with the lowest elevation. In Puente la Reina, a large number of pilgrims usually stay, also because this place is often chosen by pilgrims cyclists for the first night to stop. In the compact center is also the church of St. James, where every evening is a pilgrimage Mass.
If you want to stay here overnight and want a quieter place, you can go a little outside the city, a kilometer further, over the bridge and immediately right on  the hill to the pilgrimage hostel on seclusion, (hostel Santiago apostol)

Puente la Reina we leave over a large arched bridge, turn left and walk for a while along a wide valley, followed by a steep short ascent through a pine grove to the highway N-120. We reach the smaller village of Maneru, and from here, along a flat footpath,  planted with vineyards and grain fields to the larger village of Cirauqui. Cirauqui is one of the most typical Spanish villages in this part of the country - on a hill together sloping mushroom-shaped village with a church on the top. In this part of Spain do not have individual houses, as in another countries in Europe. A bigger village, almost a smaller town, then at least 5 kilometers of nothing, then again a bigger settlement on a hill - this is the Spanish countryside. Older people live in Spanish villages, there are almost no young people, children are a wery rare ...  

Cirauqui is a small town on a hill, where is a shop and a pilgrimage hostel with restaurant. This village is quite secluded and only a small number of pilgrims stay here (no tourism), so this is a good choice for overnight stays. From here, route descends slightly along a fairly good macadam road into the valley. A special water viaduct is built over the valley to irrigate the fields. All these fields in this part of the country have regulated irrigation, so the landscape is interspersed with numerous irrigation canals, pipes and artificial rivers.

Route follows through the rather undulating landscape and through the villages of Lorca and Villatuerta to the larger town of Estella. Estella is a larger town by the river, and has an older and newer part. We enter into the older, medieval part of town. Right at the entrance to the town is on the left Church of the Twelve Apostles, and above is a characteristic large rock. We continue along a narrow street, past a pilgrimage hostel on the left. Stairs lead from the central square to the church of St. Peter. This church has an even larger monastery and beautiful colored windows, and every evening is there a Holy Mass for pilgrims.

We continue along a narrow street to the newer part of the town, which is nothing special, it is similar to all other modern towns.

We continue our way up to a slight hill and descend to the road, followed by a small climb to Irache. Somewhere in the middle of the ascent is a larger monastery, and on it are two taps intended for pilgrims: one for water, the other for wine. The wine is free here, you just pour a glass (or a bottle :) and drink. It is true, that only about 0.5 dl of wine flows at a time, but if you are persistent and turn the tap here and there for a while ...
This is followed by a short ascent, then is a fork: left to a footpath, that goes mostly through the forest and uninhabited countryside to the town of Los Arcos or right through a more open countryside through a few smaller villages to Los Arcos where the routes merge. There is no major difference between them in length.

- If we turn left, route rises quite steeply into a nearby hill at the beginning. We walk through a dense forest, then along a macadam road through an uninhabited landscape. In the summer heat, this choice is more suitable because of the shade, because most of the way we walk through the forest, and some also through open clearings. After about two hours, route descends into the valley, to the village of Louquin, where is a small pilgrimage hostel, and then goes  further down in the valley, between fields of olives, vineyards and grain fields, where it joins with the right path leading to the town of Los Arcos.

- If we turn to the right route, it climbs some time through a rather undulating landscape between woods and vineyards. Followed by a small village Azqueta, a little later we come to an arched medieval fountain, and after a kilometer to the village on a hill - Villamayor de Monjardin. Here are two smaller pilgrimage hostels and shop. If it is already late, it is advisable to stay here overnight, because it is 10 kilometers to the next place, and in this place is one of the better pilgrimage accommodations, hostel Hogar Monjardin, runs by an evangelical family from the Netherlands. In the evening we have a common dinner, to which we are invited with a bell, followed by a common prayer and reading of texts from bible. Each pilgrim gets a little booklet with a collection of gospels in their own language. The place here is pleasant and on a hill with a beautiful view of the surroundings. There is a church in the village, which is rather modest inside, and the Holy Mass is only exceptional here.

From here, route descends along a maze of foothpaths through the valley to the town of Los Arcos, 10 kilometers away. It is a larger medieval town with several shops, a large church and more pilgrimage hostels. As there are more major pilgrimage accommodations here, it is more crowded and everything becomes too touristy (disturbing).

Route continues along the footpath in the flat landscape between the grain fields, in the middle of nowhere, there is no houses, no road, no trees in the entire field of view. After less than two hours, we come to a slight hill, where two villages are grouped together: Sansol and Torres del Rio, separated by a semi-dry remnant of a water stream. There are several pilgrimage hostels, shops and bars in these two villages, especially in Torres del Rio.

From here, the landscape is quite undulating, followed by minor ascents and descents along footpaths between fields of vineyards, grain fields, small pine forests and uncultivated land. After less than three hours of walking, we reach the road and follow on the footpath near the road to the town of Viana. Just before the townl on the right side is an unusual red sand hill, which is probably the fruit of human machines.

Town of Viana is located on a slight hill, and at the top is a church with a special pointed tower. In the town are three pilgrimage hostels, one of which is the parish one, which is next to the church. Here pilgrims sleep on the floor on pillows, in the evening we go to the Holy Mass together, and after the Mass we have a common dinner, which is also attended by a friendly priest, who then shows us the church, which is a real work of art.
The town is medieval, with narrow streets, with no major newer part, except this one on the right before we enter into the town.
From here follows a slight three-hour descent to the next larger modern city, Logroño, which lies along a larger river, in the middle of which is a small islet. We leave the province of Navarre and enter the province of La Rioja (which means “the red one”). The soil and stones here are red, due to the large amount of iron in the soil, which is good for producing a good wine.

Logroño is a great new and modern city, the capital of the province of La Rioja. Here they have a large number of pilgrimage hostels, shops and more, otherwise the city is nothing special. We leave Logronjo through the park and follow the wide paved promenade to the lake. Usually, this part is full of people, especially locals and tourists who go for recreation.

We come to a larger lake full of fish, ducks and other waterfowl. There is a piny grove by the lake, where various events, picnics, weddings, etc. take place.
From the lake, our route rises over a slight hill and along the macadam road next to the highway to the small town of Navarette. Just before Navarette, to the left on the hill is a large black iron bull that haunts the surroundings. In Spain, the bull is a sacred animal, so they have several such monuments in the hills. Just before the town are the ruins of an old pilgrimage church.

We continue across the highway and arrive in Navarette. Navarette is a small town on a hill, with several pilgrimage hostels and shops, otherwise is nothing special. Due to the larger number of hostels, more crowds are expected here.

Route continues to slight climb along a macadam road near the highway to a small village on the hill - Ventosa. Again one of the typical smaller Spanish villages: at the top reigns a church, below one or two streets of houses leaning together. There is also a pleasant small pilgrimage hostel, which has its own food store and kitchen, where everyone can prepare their own dinner. In the inner courtyard of the hostel is a small aquarium with running water and chairs to rest on the sun. There is a beautiful calm in the village and because it is on a hill, is a beautiful view to the wider surroundings from here, especially from the church. Definitely a better choice for the rest of the afternoon and overnight stay than the previous Navarrete or the next Najera...

From here, route slowly descends along foothpaths abd macadam roads between fields of vineyards and grain fields towards the town Najera. The soil and stones are distinctly red in this part. In the valley we go through a few smaller villages to the town of Najera, which lies by the river. The peculiarity of this town is the high red stone wall that rises behind the town. This wall is full of carved cavities in which cave-people once lived. Access to the caves is closed. Otherwise, this part of Spain was already inhabited 40,000 years ago, more on that below. The town of Najera is a tourist town, everywhere is full of tourists, noise is everywhere, here is full of various restaurants, hotels, shops, churches and several pilgrimage hostels. The prices in bars and restaurants are also quite touristy here - higher. A river flows through the town, which is so clean that millions of tiny water flowers bloom in it at a certain time (the second half of June). Then the whole surface of the river turns into a white flowering carpet. The main "municipal" hostel, at least according to my findings, is not in the best condition here, so I do not recommend it too much, because after six kilometers, the following hostel where is much better... In the church of St. Cruz is a Holy mass every evening.

From Najera, route path rises steeply  along the macadam road, at first through a pine grove, and then along the plain between the grain fields to Azofra, 6 km away. It is a small village with a pleasant pilgrimage hostel.

From here, ourm route climbs slightly between the grain fields, and after ten kilometers we come to a completely newly built small town - Ciruenja. In 2008, this town was still being built, but now this town is vacated. The state built this town, like several other similar towns in Spain, completely on new, in the middle of the fields in the countryside, in the hope, that people would settle here, but they are miscalculated. Almost all the houses are still for sale, and there are no buyers who would like to come and live in this town. The town is exemplary: a few streets of terraced houses of this shape, a few streets a little different, a street of small apartment blocks, parking, central center with children's playgrounds, swimming pool, golf course, shopping and catering facilities, a new road to the city ... but all is empty... Still, they keep everything well together. People here, and especially young people, are not interested to live in remote places, they prefer to live in big cities...

Route continues along a macadam road and footpaths, through a wavy landscape between endless grain fields. After a good hour and a half we arrive in the town of Santo Domingo de la Calzada. The town lies along a semi-dry wide river channel, for almost all the water from the river is used to irrigate the fields. There are several shops and two larger pilgrimage hostels. A special feature of the city is the church, or. two churches next to each other. In the right church, they have a live cock in a cage, which they replace it with a new one, when it wears out. Entry to this church is only possible if you pay the entrance fee. As for the cock in the church, there is a story: Once upon a time, a family stopped in this place on a pilgrimage to Santiago. The son was wrongly charged with theft and the judge sentenced him to be hanged. The son was hanged, but he survived the hanging. The mother goes to the judge and tells him that her son is still alive, and the judge said, "that her son is alive as that roasted cock on the plate" he was just eating. At that moment, the cock on his plate came to life and took off. The judge saw this and forgave the son and they were able to continue on their way. Since then, they have a live cock in  cage in this church. We leave the town over a long bridge over a semi-dry riverbed. There is a chapel at the beginning of the bridge.

Route climbs slightly along the macadam road to the cross by the path and after less than two hours of walk, we reach the village of Granjon. It is a larger village with one street of compact houses and the Church of St. John the Baptist.

There are a few shops and two pilgrimage hostels. Of particular note is the parish hostel, which is in the church tower. In my estimation, this is one of the best pilgrimage accommodations on the entire route. We sleeps on pillows on the floor in the attic of the church, in the evening we go to the Holy Mass together, after Mass we together prepare dinner, set the tables and have common dinner. Mostly young people spend the night here. After dinner, is socializing with music (and wine) in the park behind the church...

Granjon is the last settlement in the province of La Rioja, and then we enter to the largest Spanish province of Castile (Castilla y Leon), which is divided into several provinces.

Our route continues through a rather undulating landscape, through smaller villages, between grain fields, but in general trail climbs slightly all the way towards the Meseta plateau, which occupies a large part of northern Spain. After less than twenty kilometers, we come to the town of Belorado, where are a large number of pilgrimage hostels and shops. The ruins of the old castle rise above the town, and the open church towers are full of storks' nests. From here, the church towers are mostly open in smaller settlements - only a wall with lintels for bells. The ringing of such bells is not as it should be...

Town is small and we continue along a macadam road through a wide valley, through smaller villages. It is especially worth mentioning the first such village - Tosantos. A special feature of this village is a small church in a stone wall right above the village. Here reigns the Queen of the Mountain (La Virgen de la penja). That church is carved into the rock, but even the locals do not knowm when it was built. There is another church in the center of the village. Every spring is a procession here, when a Mary (statue) is brought from that church in the wall to the church in the village, and in the autumn she is carried back in a procession to the mountain, where she lives in winter. In Tosantos is a smaller, pleasant pilgrimage hostel (a branch of the Granjon hostel), managed by the Italians, in the afternoon we visit this pilgrimage church on the mountain together and there they tell us something about that church.
In the evening we prepare dinner and have common dinner. To prepare dinner together, as in many other places, means to: wash and slice vegetables, prepare salad, prepare plates and utensils, drink and prepare tables and chairs where necessary. After dinner we put everything away and wash. Usually, however, we are not allowed to go to the stove in these cases, but this is done by the hostel manager and his assistant, if he has one, and any of the older pilgrims.
After dinner we have a common prayer in the chapel in the attic, during the prayer we read the requests written by a pilgrims from our place in the past days, and then we write our own, which will be read by the pilgrims behind us. Every pilgrim here also gets a badge on his hat in the shape of a yellow arrow.
Such joint activities are usually only in smaller, remote and, above all, parish hostels. In doing so, the pilgrims quickly get to know each other and socialize. This is not the case in large and city hostels. The worst thing is, if you are left alone in a crowd of people. In larger hostels, but especially in cities, accommodations are just "sleeping boxes", after arrival and quick completion of formalities, you get a number of bunk bed, and no one cares about you until you leave… You don't even know who is your neighbor on the the nearest bunk bed… All of this is an approximate picture from everyday life when comparing people in rural and urban areas.
In addition, a good and especially warm dinner after a full day of walking is even more important, that you not eat only dry food from the store or expensive, inappropriate and, above all, too small portions in restaurants every day...

Route continues through the valley, through smaller villages to Villafranca montes de oca. This is a larger village along a very occupated road, especially this road is full of trucks and trucks trailers, that sometimes it is quite a problem to cross the road, or to live here permanently ... There is a shop in the village, two larger pilgrimage hostels and a church. Here it is good place to pour some more water, buy food, because 12 kilometers will be nothing now, and the path will be quite strenuous.

At the church we turn right and follow on the steep footpath up into the oak forest. The climb is quite long. At the top we come to a plateau overgrown with a sparse pine forest and numerous wind powerplants. This is followed by a short descent into the valley and again an immediate ascent back. Then about two hours of walking along a fairly wide level path - clearings in the middle of the forest. In case of bad weather, the path here can be quite muddy. A short laid descent to the village of San Juan de Ortega follows.

San Juan de Ortega is a small village at an elevation of about 1,200 n / m. Here is the church, in which is a larger tomb of St. John, a disciple of St. Dominic, is buried. Every evening is a pilgrimage Holy Mass, and all pilgrims gets a special iron cross from St. John with a ribbon around their necks, which we wear until the end of the pilgrimage. About 100 meters away is a small pleasant pilgrimage hostel, where every pilgrim who stays here overnight gets a free garlic soup, and for an additional fee also dinner, which we eat together at the table in the evening. The accommodation is really a bit older, but very pleasant because it is not to much crowded.

We continue our way through a small grove, and then is descend to the basin, where is the small village Ages. The village is nothing special, but there are several pilgrimage hostels. From here is is only 518km to Santiago...

We continue along the road to the smaller, half-abandoned village of Atapuerca. Before the village, is a large board depicting a caveman (Neanderthal). In this place, more precisely in the cave Yacimientos (about a kilometer to the right) they found the oldest human remains in Europe, estimated to be from 40,000 years ago. There is a museum now. Just before the entrance to the village, are some remains of statues on the left. The village of Atapuerca is nothing special, it has one or two a pilgrimage hostels, a shop, bar and church, and most of the other houses are empty, people have moved out. If we are here overnight, we can go in the afternoon to the church, where  is a nice, quiet place to rest with a nice view to the wider surroundings.

At the end of the village we leave the road and go left past the sheepfold up a rather steep and rocky footpath. At the top we come to a wooden cross, followed by a short walk along a flat plateau, and on the left is a military training ground fenced with barbed wire. Shortly before descending into the valley, a beautiful view opens up to the endless plateau of Mezeta, which lies at an elevation of just over 800n / m and is about 400 kilometers long. Below right is a quarry, and in the distance is the large city of Burgos. If we have binoculars, you can also see the Burgos cathedral towers from here...

Then we descend into the valley, then initially along foothpaths and later along the asphalt road we continue through two smaller villages: Cardanuela riopico and Orbanea Riopico, where are more bars and pilgrimage hostels, the last before Burgos. We continue along the road to the airport (as soon as we get across the highway), and there is a fork, so we can choose two options: to go straight, around the airport to the main city entrance and along it to the center of Burgos. This route is more strenuous because it is an hour and a half walk along a heavily trafficked asphalt road through a densely populated (also very hot in summer) city. However, you can go at the airport (as soon as you cross the highway) to the left along the foothpaths, through the fields, forest and park almost to the city center. This route is a slightly longer and more difficult to navigate (because there are no signs), but more beautiful because we avoid city noise, heat and traffic...

Otherwise, in the city of Burgos, the pilgrimage route is poorly marked, the signs are blurred, covered and if you do not have a good map or navigation device, it is quite difficult. The easiest way to find your way around the Cathedral is to get there. Only a few steps away are pilgrimage hostels and everything else, that pilgrim needs.
Burgos is big a city, and has a population of 200,000. A special feature of the city is the Cathedral. Just looking at it from the outside is something special. We can get a stamp here. To see the interior, you have to pay an entrance fee during the day, except in the evening, when is a pilgrimage Holy Mass, when there is no entrance fee. Otherwise, the city center is lively, there is always something going on. Pilgrimage hostels are in the immediate vicinity and are modern, but is noisy here.

4.) Plateau "Mezeta" - endless flat landscape (Burgos - Leon - Astorga)
So far we have walked mostly on a hilly and wavy world, but now we are on a more or less endless flat lansdscape. There are also some minor ascents and descents, but are only a few, hardly worth mentioning. The landscape here is quite different. There are almost no trees left, let alone any forests. There are also no more vineyards. They are just endless grain fields. The weather is drier in this part and hotter in summer. But this part of the route is the most beautiful, there are fewer pilgrimsan no tourists on the route.

We have to quite walk again to leave the city of Burgos and continue along the zig-zag paths across the fields to the village of Tardajos, 10 kilometers away and a few kilometers further, a little higher, a village of Rabe. A good choice for accommodation for those, who would like to avoid staying in the city of Burgos.

From here, route climbs slightly but steadily to the plateau. After a few hours we reach a basin in which is the smaller village of Hornillos. The village is small, and crowded with pilgrims, due to the large number of hostels. Therefore, if is possible, we walk another 6 kilometers to the next place Sam Bol.

After a short ascent, we continue on a perfectly flat plateau between many wind powerplants. After an hour and a half we reach the next basin, where a small pilgrimage hostel Sambol is located on the left next to a small forest. This is again one of the best hostel, we have a candlelit common dinner here, because they don't have electricity here.

After a further two hours of walking we reach the basin in which lies the small village of Hontanas. Here are several pilgrimage hostels and one shop. From here, route descends along the footpath into the valley to the road, which leads to the ruins of half-destroyed church of St. Anthony, through which the road take place. In this remnant of the church is a small pilgrimage hostel, also without electricity, and if there is a drought also without water ... Otherwise, this accommodation is very pleasant, we also get common dinner, and the contributions are voluntary.

We continue along the level asphalt road along the tree-lined avenue to the small town of Castrojeriz, 4 kilometers away. A little before the town is on the right a church, and on the hill above the town are ruins of old castle. The town is nothing special, but there is a larger number of pilgrimage hostels, if we want to stay here overnight, we go to the state - municipal hostel, named of San Esteban, which is above the main square. However, here is more crowding and noisy... If we do not intend to stay here, we can go past the town along the "bypass" road (we continue straight along the road we came on), because the pilgrimage route rejoins the road at the other end of the town. At the end of the town at the crossroads, turn left from the road onto the footpath towards a small hill. When we reach the hill, a kilometer of steep ascent to the top awaits us. At the top is a resting place and a beautiful view to the wider surroundings.

The descent to the other side follows, the view to "infinity" opens. In all of vision  from here, is only one endless grain field, through which our route leads, there are no buildings, no roads, no trees, only in the distance at the end of the horizon you can see the river, to wich we have to go ... We go down to the other side and continue walking through this endless field. After a more than hour, we reach a resting place by the fountain, and a little further on is the road. Followed by a short walk along the road, then we turn left towards the river. A bridge was built over the Pisuerga River, which is the border river between the province of Burgos and Palencia. The river has a perfectly appropriate name because it is quite polluted.

Just before the bridge, on the left is a church without a tower, which now houses a small pilgrimage hostel - Puente San Nicolas. This is one of the better accommodations and is run by Italians. We have a common candlelight dinner (there is no electricity), a common prayer and a special ritual of washing the feet. Following the example of Jesus, the manager of the hostel washes the feet of every pilgrim. In fact, it's getting simpler... Here we get breakfast the next morning, and we set off around half past seven in the morning.

First we cross the river and along the macadam roads between the fields to the villages of Itero de la vega and Bocadilla and continue along the artificial river towards the town of Fromista. We walk near a wide artificial irrigation canal, which take place above the surrounding plain with many pumps, valves and gates all the way to the town of Fromista. The town of Fromista is a small town, not so far from Palencia and is the most southern point of our pilgrimage route. There are several shops, some pilgrimage hostels and the Church of St. Martin, but you have to pay an entrance fee to enter it, although there is nothing special ... At the exit of the town is a special negative shaped statue of a pilgrim (basically an iron plate and a pilgrim-shaped opening carved in it.)

We continue along thefootpath near the road. Here, the path is crossed in several places by tiny paths of ants, so we have to be careful not to walk to them too much. After a few kilometers we reach the village of Poblacion de campos, where the pilgrimage route splits into two parts: the left part continues near the road, or the right near the almost dry bed of a larger river. After a few kilometers, the paths merge again, but it is recommended to go straight to the left path at the road.

After a good hour we arrive in the small village of Villarmentero del campos. At the beginning of the village is a very special pilgrimage hostel "Amancer". In my opinion, this is again one of the best accommodations along the way, especially for those who like something unusual and like to experience something along the way. We are received by a friendly manager (who cooks excellently, among other things), we have a choice of a normal bunk bed and a limited number of places in bungalows, sewer pipes and a tent and some even in hanging bags on the trees ... everything is placed on a large garden in the Indian style, and (non-dangerous) domestic animals roam freely around the accommodation: donkeys, chickens, cocks, ducks, dogs, even domesticated chickens. If we are here in the middle of the afternoon, then I recommend that we finish walking here for today...

As part of the accommodation is a large garden - a park where is a camp with a tent, but if you have your own tent, you can set it up here. We have common dinner together at a long table. Dinner is so plentiful and varied that you can hardly believe it. A kitchen is also available for pilgrims. The administrator has already walked the pilgrimage route several times and in the evening he has a lecture in English with good advice on the further route. In addition to all this simplicity, the accommodation has all the modern things that a pilgrim needs on the way, hot water for washing, showers, bar, wifi, ... In addition, mostly young pilgrims spends the night here.

We continue, and after an hour of walking  on the footpath near the flat road we reach the next village Villalcazar de sirga. There is a larger church, in which is a white Mary (Maria la Blanca) in the altair, to enter the church you have to pay an entrance fee, except in the evening when is the pilgrimage Holy Mass, entrace is free. There is an even smaller pilgrimage hostel and shop.

After an hour and a half of further walking along the route, we reach the larger town of Carrion. Before entering the town, a fresco of a "frightened pilgrim" is painted on the wall of the church (which has faded in recent years). A pilgrim with unusually large eyes is drawn. There are three major pilgrimage hostels, because a large number of pilgrims usually spends the night here, especially a lot of cyclists, so it is quite crowded here. In the center of town is the Church of St.Mary, and next to the bottom right of the monastery is one of the better pilgrimage hostel of the same name. In front of the church is a larger platform, and above it is Mary on a pillar. Every evening is a pilgrimage Mass in this church, followed by the blessing of the pilgrims. Every pilgrim gets a pilgrim star. Prayers follow with a song led by white Augustinian nuns from the local convent, which are beautifully singing and playing on the guitar. The peculiarity of this town is, among other things, the incredible crowd of little birds on the sky, flying here and there. It is advisable to get a little more food and water here, because it is 18 kilometers to the next settlement.

We continue our way through the old town and when we come out of the town, an endless flat landscape begins, in the beginning is still full of grain fields, and finally there are no more of them. We walk on a good macadam road, along which are some resting places for pilgrims with wooden benches.

After a four hours of walking in the middle of nowhere, we see a small church in the distance, on the right. Here the route descends into a basin in which is the small village of Calzadilla de la Cueza. Right at the beginning of the village we notice a larger building on which is a blue fresco of a pilgrim with a stick, that resting. Here is a pilgrimage hostel, or two now, in this one with the fresco is a small inner courtyard for an afternoon rest in the sun with a small swiming pool. Anyone staying overnight at this hostel, has a special discount at a pilgrimage dinner in a nearby restaurant. In the neighbour is also a shop and  restaurant mentioned earlier.
We finally got halfway from Saint Jean pp to Santiago!

From here, the route take place through a rather undulating landscape, followed by the villages of Ledigos and Terradillos de los templarios. Just before Terradillos, in the middle of the grain field, is a pilgrimage hostel with a restaurant, and in the village center is another one, more modest. Every evening is a pilgrimage Holy Mass in English in the village church. In this part of cuntry, the houses are often built of brick and unplastered, so all the villages look kind of red.

Route continues along footpaths between fields of flowering sunflowers and grain fields, through two smaller villages of Moratinos and San Nicolas. Here, from Moratinos to Leon, some people lived in some kind of underground houses, the house is buried in the ground, only the facade is outside and chimneys protrude from the ground. Some of these cottages can be seen in the begining just befor the village of Moratinos and a little later along the way.

Following the slightly longer part of the route to the town of Sahagun. A little before the town, we come to a small church, and a little further are two statues. These statues marks a half of the Spanish part of the pilgrimage route from Roncesvalles to Santiago (for those of us, who started in France, this is not the case). The town of Sahagun is nothing special, but it has more shops and pilgrimage hostels, bars, etc..

From the town we continue on the footpath near the highway to the village of Calzada del Coto, 5 kilometers away. Shortly before the highway junction, the pilgrimage route splits into two parts: the longer, right part goes over the highway to the small village Calzada del.Coto, where is a small pilgrimage hostel and continues through a minor ascent through the village of Hermanillos and joins the basic pilgrimage route again in the town of Mansilla de las Mulas.

The basic, left part of the pilgrimage route continues on foothpath, not so far from the highway and railway, and stretches in the same image for a more, than 30 kilometers. Although quite close to major roads, this foothpath is arranged in a way that, gives pilgrims a sense of solitude. Along the entire path, a series of small trees were planted in 2007, which to this day have grown into already quite decent trees and give pilgrims quite decent shade on the way. The path is almost completely flat with a few gentle turns. In between are a few smaller villages. It is worth mentioning Bercianos, where is a shop and two smaller pilgrimage hostels, especially the parish one is one of the best hostels on the whole way. This hostel can accommodate up to 20 pilgrims, most on bunks in the attic, the rest on pillows. In the evening we help the manager prepare common dinner, then have a dinner, and a common prayer, then we go together to watch the beautiful sunset.

The next village along the way is El burgo raneiro, which is a compact street of red houses and an interesting church at the end of this street. After three hours we arrive in the village of Reliegos, where are several major pilgrimage hostels, bars and a shop. Just before the village are again some underground houses. As a curiosity, we first notice the bar with a blue painted facade, and even inside all the walls are painted and drawn by pilgrims. In that bar you can get a decent dinner (on one plate) together with wine for a good price  6 - 8 €. Usually a large group of young people from nearby hostels gather here in the evening, common dinner is at a long table, and there is enough wine ... According to the latest data (2019), this bar was closed ... But there is another bar right next to it, only, but that there are no such benefits...

Our route still continues along a tree-lined footpath up to an hour and a half walk to the town of Mansilla de las Mulas. We go into the town over the overpass, over the highway. Town is smaller, except for shops and pilgrimage hostels, there is nothing special. The landscape is changing dramatically here. If we walked to now on quiet, secluded paths, from now all the way to the town of Leon, which is 20 kilometers away, we will walk on a foothpaths and road  along a heavily busy road. Somewhere in the middle of this distance, behind the village of Puente villarente, the path rises slightly to the right above the industrial suburb of Leon. Before entering the city of Leon, we cross a blue, iron zig-zag bridge over the highway.

The city of Leon has about 150,000 inhabitants. Entering a newer part of the city that is nothing special is exactly the same as all modern cities elsewhere. In the old part of city is the Cathedral, famous for its colorful windows. Entrance to the Cathedral is possible only at certain hours and if you pay the entrance fee. In the evening, when there is a pilgrim Holy Mass, admission is free. In the old part of the city are several other historic buildings. Leon is full of shops and several pilgrimage hostels, as a larger number of pilgrims usually stop here to overnight. One of the worst pilgrimage hostel along the way is the Cistercian one, where they invented some very rules of their own: pilgrims are separated by sex in the lodgings, and even then they are constantly strived for various little things in their bedrooms.

It takes us a long time to leave this big city and after a short climb past the underground houses we come to the larger village of La Virgen del Camino. In fact, almost everything sticks together with the city of Leon.
When we leave the village of La Virgen, we come to a fork where the pilgrimage route splits into two parts: the left, 10km longer part goes mostly through solitude and sparsely populated area, between fields and through a few smaller villages to the larger village Hospital de Orbigo. The right, shorter path along a fairly busy road, and through larger settlements to the village Hospital de Orbigo, where the paths merge. If we have enough time, we definitely go on the left, a longer, but nicer path.

- On the left, 10 km longer part, we go along the foothpaths and along a fairly trafic-free asphalt road to an hour's walk to the small village of Oncina de valdoncina, which counts only a few houses, where is a small pilgrimage hostel, where we also get food (common dinner and breakfast). Since the place is quite secluded, and on a small hill, we have a nice opportunity for short walks for the rest on the afternoon on the surrounding footpaths and meadows. In the village is also an abandoned church and a (functioning) bar.
From here, our route ascends slightly to the plateau, then an hour's walk along a foothpath without settlements to a smaller village, where you come to a fairly trafic-free asphalt road, and another one hour of walk is to the larger village of Villar de Mazarife. There are two major pilgrimage hostels, a shop and an bar.
It is followed by a two-hour walk on an almost traffic-free asphalt road between fields of corn, sunflowers and grain fields to the next village, Villavante, where is also a small pilgrimage hostel and a shop. Following next hour of walk along the path, and we arrive to the larger village Hospital del orbigo.

- On the right, 10 km shorter route, we soon reach a fairly busy road and through smaller villages (San Miguel, Villadangos, San Martin) it is quite a few hours of boring walking on the plain to the 25 km distant Hospital del Orbigo. There are several pilgrimage hostels and shops in these smaller villages. Along the way, we notice a change on this part of route for the first time in a long time: a larger mountain range appears in the distance, which means that in two days our endless flat landscape will be over, then we will climb on to the mountains... Although this variant of the route is shorter, it is quite strenuous due to heavy traffic on the road.

Just before the larger village of Hospital del Orbigo, on the left is the Seat car factory, and at the entrance to the village is an orange water tower. A special feature of this village is the 750 meter long arched stone bridge over the river Orbigo. The river is not so wide. Here are several pilgrimage hostels, shops and bars. It is worth mentioning the parish pilgrimage hostel "Karl Leistner", which has a smaller green inner courtyard.

Immediately after leaving the village, the pilgrimage route splits: left on foothpath near the road to the city Astorga, 20 kilometers away, and a right on foothpaths between the fields and over the hill also to Astorga. It is recommended to go on to the right path, to the nearby small village Villares de Orbigo and a to next Santibanjez valdeiglesias, where are also smaller pilgrimage hostels and bar. From here, footpath climbs on to a small hill overgrown with forest, and some quite time we walk through a quiet and secluded landscape to the top. At the top we come to some almost completely dilapidated building, where we can buy soft drinks, in pigrim passport we can get a stamp in the shape of a red heart. In addition, here is a pilgrimage accommodation "more 1000 ***" (possibility of sleeping outdoors). Of course, there is no water or electricity, you have to bring food for dinner...

After a short walk along the plain, we come to a concrete cross, and a view opens up to a city Astorga, which lies on a hill on the other side of a smaller valley.

We descend into the valley to the village of San Justo de la vega, which is basically already a suburb of Astorga. If we are lucky, the aromas from a nearby pig farm make our way a little more difficult. We cross the railway line over a green zig-zag iron bridge, similar to the one in Leon across the highway. A steep ascent to the city center follows. In the city are several major pilgrimage hostels and several shops. Astorga is a compact medieval city and has about 15,000 inhabitants. In the center of city is a large square, where are often various markets, and a little further on is a special beautiful castle designed by Gaudi (he also designed the famous Sagrada Familia church in Barcelona). This castle now serves as the diocesan palace. Next to the castle is a larger church - the cathedral, which is nothing special.

5.) Mountain world (Astorga - Ponferrada - Sarria)
The flat landscape is over, now we will climb to the mountains to the Iron Cross, then is a steep descent into the valley, two days of walking through the valley, followed by a steep ascent to the mountains again and descent into the countryside of Galicia.

When we leave Astorga, follows an hour of walking along the plain to the small village of Murrias. Here we finally say "goodbye" to this endless flat landscape, we have been walking on for a quite time. As soon as we leave the village, route begins to climb slowly. After five kilometers we come to the medieval mountain village of Santa Catalina. This is a street of compact stone houses, and in the middle of the village is a church with a typical open tower, as they have in this wider part of the countryside. In the village are two pilgrimage hostels and shop.

After the next five kilometers of gentle walking on footpath, we come to the next village El Ganso, which is uninhabited. At the beginning of the village is the bar "Cowboy". A little bit later is a smaller pilgrimage hostel shop and bar. The other houses here are empty and visibly decaying, as is the church too. Although is a road through the village and it is not so far to the city, people from these mountain villages have moved away. Probably a similar fate awaits many other Spanish villages sooner or later, because on the  rural areas living mostly elderly people. We walking on the foothpath, near the road for a while, then we turn onto a steep footpath, that climbs through the forest to the village of Rabanal del Camino. It is a larger, compact, medieval, still living mountain village on a steep slope. It has a large number of pilgrimage hostels and shops. Special mention should be made of the accommodation next to the shop, which offers accommodation in the garden in tents. A large number of pilgrims usually stop in the village for overnight.

From here we climb mostly along footpaths through the forest and through open clearings to the next mountain village Foncebadon at an elevation of 1,500 n /m. Foncebadon counts only a few houses, but there is also a shop / bar and a few smaller pilgrimage hostels. Special mention should be made to the parish hostel in the old abandoned church at the end of the village. They have bunk beds and pillows on the floor. In the evening we have a common prayer and a common dinner, which we prepare together earlier. In the hostel is also a chapel. Because this village is on so high elevation, it’s not hot here. A special feature of the village is the round, stone-covered house at the beginning of the village, this is a museum example of construction in these mountains in the past. Along the way we will see a few more such houses, including one on a Cebreiro.

We continue on an open clearing with a beautiful view to the valley and the neighboring peaks, and the path is full of fragrant yellow flowers, if we are on the path at the right time. The path climbs slowly to the road, and finally, after a few bends we reach the iron cross (Cruz del ferro), which is the highest point of our pilgrimage route. Here stands a small iron Cross on a wooden pole, surrounded by a large pile of stones that is still growing slowly but steadily. Every pilgrim was supposed to bring a small pebble from home or elsewhere, and put it next to the Cross. Pilgrims sometimes drop off some equipment, that they no longer need it on the way and put it at the cross, Next to the cross is an abandoned chapel.

From here, our route descends slightly along the footpath, near the trafic-free road to about a half-hour walk to the small wooden decaying house - pilgrimage hostel Manjarin, which is something special. On the outside we notice, that this is a larger wooden hut, or. a set of barracks of rather poor appearance. In front of the entrance is a sign indicating the distance to various important places on the world, and at the entrance are a lot of colorful flags from different countries, brought here by pilgrims. If we don't plan to spend the night here, we can only go inside, to get a stamp and buy something in the souvenir shop. (among other things, they have nice postcards with a donkey). But we can stay here overnight. This pilgrimage hostel doesn`t have electricity, and according to some unverified information, here is also a common dinner, and the accommodation is not too clean. It is run by the Templar monks of Ponferrada, where they have their center in the Templar castle. In Spain, unlike most of the rest of Europe, the Templar Order of Monks is still active, but they are no longer soldiers, but to some extent a mysterious order of (un)consecrated monks with white monk's frocks, and they have special crosses on them. Their job is to help the pilgrims on this st.James's way (they maintain some pilgrimage hostels). Their single functioning monastery in Europe is in the Templar Castle in Ponferrada.

We continue along the foothpaths through pastures overgrowned with shrubs, yellow flowers and through a sparse deciduous forest. The path slightly climbs  to the next peak with an abandoned transmitter tower. Here opens a beautiful view further into the valley and to the neighboring peaks of this mountain range. In the distance we see the large city of Ponferrada and the nuclear power plant there, with two large cooling towers. After about an hour of moderate descent with a beautiful view, we arrive in a compact medieval, mountain village with black roofs and special built-in balconies: El Acebo. In the front of entrance to the village is a board with the inscription in Spanish: "Welcome to the province of Bierzo". This landscape stretches from these mountains to Galicia, where we arrive in two days. The capital of province Bierzo is Ponferrada.

In the village of Acebo are two bars, shop and three pilgrimage hostels. Parish hostel is recommended, which is basic, but we have a common dinner and voluntary contribution. If the weather is nice, we go together in the evening to see the beuutifull sunset at the Cross on a slight hill at the west side of the village. The cross is placed in such a way that, if we stand just on the right place, the sun at sunset is right in the center of the Cross. Slightly lower, below the village is another modern - tourist accommodation, which even has a swimming pool.

From here we continue for about an hour along a slightly descending asphalt road to the next village Riego de Ambros, and from here is a steep descent on foothpath into the valley.

After a long descent, we reach the road in the valley in the smaller compact medieval town of Molinaseca. At the entrance is a smaller church, and another larger one, which together with the bridge is a symbol of this town, is on a slight hill on the left side of the town. The special feature of this town is a larger arched, stone bridge over the river. In addition, in Molinaseca are more shops and two larger pilgrimage hostels.

We leave the town along a footpath near a flat road, which descends over a slight slope to Ponferrada, 12 km away. Ponferrada is a modern large city and the capital of the province of Bierzo, and has a population of 70,000. The monastic order of the Templars still operates in this city and has quite a few interesting old buildings, such as castle, churches, etc. As we follow the path along the road from Molinaseca to Ponferrada, just before entering the town, the pilgrimage route turns left towards smaller villages. It is recommended not to follow these signs and go along the road (on sidewalk) straight along the main road to the city center (this direction is marked as a bike path). If we go there on the left along the footpath, we will make a big semicircle and lose at least an hour or more... Immediately in the center we keep to the left, if we want to stay here overnight, but if we want to pass the city as soon as possible, then straight through the center. In Ponferrada is only one big pilgrimage hostel. Usually a large number of pilgrims gather in it, some even camp outside in tents. In addition to real pilgrims, pilgrims-tourists are also starting to appear here, (ie those pilgrims, who walk only a short, last part of the "camino"way to Santiago). These are especially loud, and make unnecessary noise. From here to Santiago is 200 kilometers.

From hostel to the city center is quite far. It takes a long time to leave Ponferrada, it takes one hour to get out of the city. Along the way we see some sights, especially the beautiful Templar castle. You can leave Ponferrada on the pilgrimage route and walk along the paths on local roads through the smaller villages to the village of Camponaraya, which is basically still a suburb of Ponferrada, as the main road sticks all together. However, you can leave Ponferrada right from the city center on the main road (on sidewalk) in direction to Cacabelos and come to Camponaraya on the main road from Ponferrada, in which case the route is almost as half shorter...

In Camponaraya (at wine store) turn left onto a footpath, after a short ascent, goes over the highway, then mostly between vine fields and through small woods to the small town of Cacabelos, 12 kilometers away. Here, as in the whole of this province, older houses have  built on the traditional pattern of a black roof and special built-in balconies. We enter the town through a medieval street, followed by a shopping center. Here it is worth mentioning the museum church of St. Roch in the center, where they keep beautiful church statues, that they no longer need. Admission is free for pilgrims, but a € voluntary contribution is desirable. Especially beautiful is Jesus on a life-size donkey and St. Peter with keys in front of the gates of heaven and a cock reminding him of the sin of disown. In the town are several shops, bars and several pilgrimage hostels, especially the larger state-based one, which is at the church at the exit from the town. Instead of the classic bunk beds, they have double rooms lined up in the walls around the church. Every evening is a pilgrimage Holy Mass in a larger church in the town (we return about 0.5 km back into the town).

From here we continue on the road to the 2km distant small village of Pieros, where is a small pilgrimage hostel, where you can also get common dinner. A little further when we reach the top, we turn right from road to footpath, continue through the wavy landscape with beautiful views, among endless vineyards, cherry orchards and through the village of Villatule de Arriba to a medieval town on the river Valcarce: Villafranca del Bierzo. Two larger castles reign over the town, and in the center of town is a larger church of St. James, where  is a pilgrimage Mass every evening. In the town are several pilgrimage hostels, the first larger, the state-based is at the entrance to the town below, a little further to the left is the next, the another one at the san.James's church, and the last smaller one at the exit from the town. Special mention should be made of the parish-based one of San Nicolas, which is in the town center next to the Church of St. James. The town has a lively center with a wide street full of bars and shops. We continue our way over the bridge next to which is the statue of St. James. On the other side of bridge is a fork and the path is divided into two parts: the left part along the valley and the right over-mountain part. We can choose according to our own abilities.

- If you turn left, follow the footpath near a fairly busy road in the walley,  through the small villages of Pereje and Trabadelo to the 12 km distant hotel Valcarce, which is in the middle of the valley Valcarce. A little before hotel, joins to this path another one, that goes over the mountain. This part of route, in contrast to the mountain path, is shorter and easily to walk, but it is quite hot in summer and the air is full of flies, because there is a river nearby. There is also a highway running through this valley, which goes from the interior of the country to province Galicia and crosses our path with overpasses several times. The villages along the way are poor, houses are built in the traditional way that is typical here in the province of Bierzo. A special feature of these houses are the built-in balconies. However, all this is in a rather poor condition and is deteriorating, people have mostly emigrated.

- but if in Vilafranca we follow the right, over-mountain route, at the exit from the Villafranca, follows one-hour-long steep ascent to the ridge, over which two larger electric power lines pass. In a short time we gain a lot in elevation. When we reach the top, we walk for a while along the ridge between a sparse pine and chestnut forest and extensive clearings with a beautiful view to the distance, to the valley of the river Valcarce and the neighboring peaks. In the last part is a dense chestnut forest, and on the right is the village of Pradela, where is also a small pilgrimage hostel and bar. In front of the village of Pradela, we turn left onto a steep descent into the valley to the Hotel Valcarce, where it joins the path through the valley. Definitely the path over the hill is nicer, there is no heat and no flies, but it is longer and takes more time.

Hotel Valcarce is in the middle of waley and has a variety of souvenir and food shops, all at “tourist” prices.

We continue along the local road, through the small villages of Portela and Abastemistas. The next larger village in the narrow valley is Vega de Valcarce, where  are several shops and pilgrimage hostels, but they are nothing special. A few kilometers further is the village of Ruitelan, which also has one pilgrimage hostel, according to other pilgrims, it is quite pleasant. Above the village, two high viaducts of the previously mentioned highway with high supporting pillars lead from mountain to mountain.

About a kilometer further we come to a fork, where we turn left and descend to the rest of the river, where is the village of Las Hereiras. In this village is a shop, bar and a small, pleasant pilgrimage hostel. In the evening we have a meat-less common dinner.

After about two kilometers, the valley is over, and the winding asphalt road begins to climb quite steeply into the mountains. The view opens up with the elevation. Once we are quite high, the pilgrimage route turns left along the footpath to the village of La Faba. However, it is not advisable to go along this path, as the route initially descends slightly into a ravine, and then is a steep ascent to the village of La Faba. It is better to overlook this turn and continue straight onto the road. After a  kilometer we pass to a crossroads where we can turn left for La Faba, but if we do not intend to stay there, then we continue straight on the main road for the village of La Laguna. After the next two kilometers of slight ascent along the road, we reach the village of La Laguna, which is the last village in the province of Castile. All this last part of the ascent along the road we can admire an infinite number of yellow flowers on the slopes of these hmountains and if we are here at the right time (beginning of July), all these slopes are one fragrant carpet of yellow flowers...

- but if we decided to we go through La Faba, which is a little lower than the village of Laguna, then, when we reach the bend where the is the bar, we turn left and go to a rather distant church at the end of the ridge, where is a Franciscan monastery and a small pilgrimage hostel, run by the Germans. The accommodation is nothing special, it is a quite place with a basic offer, such as a shower and overnight stay. Everyone has to take care the food themselves, but it is awkward, because is no shop in the village, so this has to be procured in the valley first. In the church, next to the accommodation, is ery evening a Holy Mass for pilgrims. Our route continues along a fairly steep footpath to the next village La Laguna. In the village La Laguna, which counts only a few houses is a small pilgrimage hostel in the bar. From here we go up on a foothpath over an open clearing with a beautiful view back to the valley and especially to the neighboring peaks...

Along the way, however, everywhere is full of bushes with fragrant yellow flowers. Soon along the way we notice a confin (landmark) with the inscription 152.5lm ... This is the distance from here to Santiago. From now on, we will meet such milestones along the way every half of kilometer, all the way to Santiago. A little further we come to the top to a large colorful boundary stone, which indicates that here begins a Galicia - the top north-western province in Spain. Another kilometer of walk and we arrive on Cebreiro...

Cebreiro is a small mountain village on the top of the saddle, where in fine weather is a beautiful view to the wider surroundings and the neighboring mountains. However, here is often a thick fog, because hot and dry air coming from the mainland and cold and humid air from a 200 km distant Atlantic ocean are often mixed here. In this case, the visibility is barely 10 meters and as we go forward, we see “how the clouds are made here” and rise under the sky. If the weather is nice, this is one of the most beautiful places to spend the afternoon and spend the overnight. The climate in these places is changing considerably: if we have been accompanied by stable, dry weather and heat so far, we can now expect about 10C lower temperatures, frequent rain and rapid weather changes. In the province of Galicia, the weather is influenced by the nearby Atlantic (the ocean between Europe and America). However, if the east wind blows from the mainland, there will be no change and the heat will continue.

In the village of Cebreiro are several bars, a shop and a larger pilgrimage state-based hostel, which is nothing special. The first thing we notice, when we come to this village is the unusual music that is played here, as if we were coming somewhere in Ireland or Scotland - pipes. This is where the Spanish province of Galicia begins, the inhabitants of this province are of Celtic origin, ie related to the Scots and Irish. During the period of the Roman Empire, the Romans often fought wars with the Celtic peoples, who lived in the wider Alps and attacked Rome several times. They once put an end to this and drove the Celts (or Gauls) to the far west of Europe, especially to Scotland, Ireland, French Brittany and the western part of the Iberian Peninsula. Although they lost their former language, they kept their good and bad habits, including music and their national instrument - pipes. >>> Folk music of Galicia >>> (an example). Their words, especially the names of towns, often contain combinations of letters "eir" (Negreira, Olveira, Cebreiro, Maceira,...).  An important role in their culture is caused by the Leon Mountains, through which we now walk, and somehow separate Galicia from the rest of the Spain.
People in this province care less about cleanliness and purity (which we will see below). The province of Galicia, unlike the rest of the Spain, is quite poor and neglected. Pilgrimage hostels in this region mostly have completely open showers so that people can watch each other while taking a shower, so, we have to use a swimsuit at this task... There is not even a curtain, let alone a door. This is not in the case everywhere, but such cases are common.

A special attraction of Cebreiro is the church in which a Eucharistic miracle similar to the one in Lanciano, Italy, once took place. Once upon a time, a priest who was massing did not believe, and in his hands the host was transformed into human flesh and wine in a chalice into real blood. The church is open all the day from 9:00 onwards, and every evening is a pilgrimage Holy Mass and the blessing of pilgrims. At the entrance to the church is a pilgrimage office where we can get et a stamp, but we can get a new Credencial here too (if we start the pilgrimage here, so quite a few pilgrims start their journey here, especially the locals). The church is run by the Franciscans from La Faba.

From here, the footpath ascends slightly through a pine grove, and then descends gently along the footpath to the road, which is reached by a sharp left turn at the village of Linares. There is a smaller shop, large pilgrimage hostel and bar. The pilgrimage route continues from here along the footpaths .... but! It is best to go from here on the road, which climbs slightly, but the pilgrimage route goes far around, and above all, we get rid of the steep ascent at the end to the top. There is little traffic on this road. After a kilometer walk along the road, we reach the top of St. Roque (Alto San Roque), where is the statue of St. James, then path continue along the road to a kilometer away village Hospital, there we pass village on the road (do not walk through the village) and along the road we continue the to the almost three kilometers distant peak of Alto de Poiyo, where is a bar and two pilgrimage hostels. Here is the highest point of the route across these mountains and is followed by a laid descent along a footpath near the road to the 4 km distant mountain village of Fonfria, where is a larger, modern pilgrimage hostel. Dinner can be ordered at this accommodation and in the evening the pilgrims gather for the common dinner.

From Fonfria we walk for some time along the footpath near the road, followed by a fairly steep descent along footpaths through oak and chestnut forests and many open clearings with a beautiful view to the valley. Along the way we pass through a few smaller but extremely neglected villages. The locals here are still far behind..., they have untidy farms, usually there are piles of manure right next to the houses, often the manure flows along the path, no one clears anything...

After 12 kilometers of descent, we reach the valley in the larger village of Triacastela. Before entering the village is a thousand-years-old chestnut tree, that no one knows how old it is. Triacastela is a larger sprawling touristic village, with many pilgrimage hostels, bars and shops. In the center of the village is the church of St. James, where is every evening a pilgrimage Mass. A large number of pilgrims usually stay in Triacastela, and it often happens that the some hostels are already full, so it is necessary to try another one. As a destination for overnight stays, this place is often chosen by those pilgrims who cross only the last 200 or 150 kilometers of the route, which started their pilgrimage only in Ponferrada or Cebreiro.
At the end of the village we come to a fork, where route divides into two parts: on the left, the longer part along the valley through Samos to Sarria and on the right, the shorter part over the hills to Sarria:

- If we go left, we walk to the village of Samos, 10 kilometers away, which lies in a basin in the middle of the valley. Somewhere halfway to Samos, in the village of Lusio, about 500 meters to the left from the route, is a small pilgrimage hostel. Before we reach Samos, we see a large Benedictine monastery in the valley from the road. According to some sources, it is the largest monastery in the Spain. From here, to the village we descend along a steep footpath and a few last 100 meters along the road to the monastery, where is a larger pilgrimage hostel. The monastery is so big, that it even has its own small petrol station. Every evening is there a pilgrimage Mass in the church in the Monastery. In the vicinity are several shops, bars and restaurants. This place is often chosen for overnight stays by pilgrims and cyclists, because it is in a favorable position along the road and, unlike the Triacastela, it is not so crowded, so there is still free space.
We continue for some time along the footpath near the road through the valley, and then we go along the forest paths to the town of Sarria, about 15 kilometers away.

- If we turn right in Triacastela along a shorter route over the hills, we will have a long ascent along the asphalt road to the village of San Xil, followed by walking on a local road and partly along footpaths through forests and open clearings, through smaller villages all the way to Sarria. The route is 22 kilometers long, where are two pilgrimage hostels in solitude, the first near the village of Calvor after about 14 kilometers fom Triacastela, and the next is 2 kilometers further.

The city of Sarria is 114 kilometers from Santiago. We enter in its newer part, above which rises on a steep slope its older part with narrow streets and houses painted with a distinct white color (which we will then see too in the next town Portomarin). From the lower part, we ascend to the upper part of the town by long stairs, which are somewhat similar to Trsat's steps in Croatia. There is a wall next to the stairs painted with frescoes of pilgrims on it. At the top we reach the old city center, a little higher is a church with a small park below and a little higher in the same street is another church dedicated to Mary of Guadalupe (if we are here just in righe time, we will be able to meet Indians, who every year 8. of july come here on a pilgrimage from Mexico and then they dancing and singing in front of the church and then continue that in all the way to Santiago). (see the video below under the description of the city of Santiago)

Sarria is full of pilgrimage hostels, as a large number of pilgrims gather here, especially those locals, who will start their pilgrimage here, and cross only the last 100 kilometers to Santiago. From the center, the path ascends slightly to the top of hill, from where is a beautiful view to the white city, and then descends to the other side past the Magdalen Monastery with a larger pilgrimage hostel.

6.) Wavy, hilly and wooded landscape of Galicia (Sarria - Santiago de compostela)
In this part of the route will be so many pilgrims on the way and consequently more crowded accommodation, because most local pilgrims cross only the last 100 kilometers of the route - from Sarria to Santiago. Therefore, in the last part of the route, a long column of people is usually dragged along the route.  So it’s getting more touristy here...
The landscape in this part is mostly forested, there are no more grain fields or vineyards, because the climate is too cold and too humid.

The rocks in this top-western part of the Iberian Peninsula (and Europe) are composed mainly of light bright granite with large quartz crystals. We often find large stones of pure quartz along the way. This granite is not of volcanic origin, but is part of the ancient continental earth crust, which is one of the oldest rocks on the earth and was formed soon after the formation of the earth. The earth in this part of the Iberian Peninsula is not geologically active and has been preserved throughout history to the present day. Granite is good for walking, and although it is wet, it is not smooth due to its sharpness, so shoes (and tires) do not slip on it.
The soil in this landscape is darker in color with a high content of fine quartz sand, which due to its high permeability to water almost completely prevents the formation of mud, and if it does, it is not greasy at all and does not stick to shoes. However, this soil is too permeable to water and cannot retain moisture, so it dries out too quickly and the crops grow poorly. As a result, the landscape is quite barren, the land is not so fertile, so there are no major fields here. In cases of major drought, practically nothing grows here except tall trees.

When we leave Sarria, we walk along the foothpaths and local roads near the railway, then climb through the forest to the small village of Barbadelo with several smaller pilgrimage hostels. The landscape is hilly with small villages and individual farms, along the way. This is followed by a few hours of walking along footpaths and local roads, through the wavy landscape with many slight ascents and descents through smaller villages and chestnut forests and other deciduous forests, and in general the path rises a bit quite. Finally we reach the top of the hill with bar, a little behind is a hidden pilgrimage hostel Ferreiros. At the top of Ferreiros is a bar and another larger hostel. The second, state-run hostel, is hidden behind the bar to the left. The accommodation is new, in a quiet, peaceful place and close to the forest, in the nice, quiet place...
After a kilometer of walk we reach an important milestone on the way, which indicates that Santiago is only 100 kilometers away. Years ago, the goverment re-measured this route with modern devices (GPS) and found that this part of st.Jeams route is about 10 km longer, so they moved most of the milestones along the way. This one, 100 kilometers long, was moved 5km further.

From here follows a laid descent along the local road through smaller villages. In the valley we see a lake and above it on a hill is a white town Portomarin. The last part of the route we descend along foothpaths to a long bridge over the lake, along which float even smaller boats.

We cross the bridge and climb the steep stairs to the town. The town center is represented by a wide street, which often houses various events and markets. In the center of the town stands a large stone church of St. John, in appearance quite similar to a fortress, and is one of the buildings is from the old town. Originally, the town of Portomarin lay much lower in the valley where the lake is now. In 1960, a dam was built for the power plant, flooding a wider area of ​​the longer valley, and the ctown was rebuilt on a hill above the lake. The original church and a few other important buildings were dismantled and transported in parts (stone by stone) to the present place and re-assembled here (built from the same material and the same pattern, in the form of a fortress). The rest was demolished and a new city built from the remains. In the town are several pilgrimage hostelss, shops, bars and restaurants. In Portomarin, just as in Sarria, a larger number of pilgrims gather, and therefore there is usually a considerable crowd in the hostels and bars.

We descend along a wide street to the lake and cross the lake over another bridge, then ascend along a footpath through the woods to the road and along a footpath near the road, that climbs more or less through a slightly undulating landscape and through pine-chestnut forests, through smaller villages, which all also have pilgrimage hostels. Special mention should be made of Gonzar, about a two-hour of walk from Portomarin, where is a small hostel on seclude, and near the hostel is a bar-restaurat. After 17 kilometers of a more monotonous walk along a slightly ascending road and foothpaths in the forest, we come to a  village of Airexe, where is pass, then route slightly descend towards the town of Palas de Rei.

Here, on a pass in the woods we notice a big change: the trees in these forests are tall of unusual, narrow trees with narrow, pointed green leaves and falling bark, and below, new bark grows - these are eucalyptus trees. Young eucalyptus trees, on the other hand, have broad, light blue leaves that, if crushed, smell strongly of menthol and of some creams. Eucalyptus trees grow where the climate is humid, not too hot and does not freeze, ie. in the vicinity of the oceans. The entire top-western part of Spain and Portugal is overgrown with eucalyptus trees. Eucalyptuses are used for wood, firewood, and from the leaves they produce a special oil for various creams and teas. There are also many plantations where they are systematically afforested with these trees, which grow well on the barren land here.

About a kilometer before the town of Palas de Rei is a small pilgrimage settlement with a larger pilgrimage hostel and shops, in order to keep at least part of the majority of pilgrims before the town (especially those who walk only the last 100 kilometers, because they are relatively rested and sometimes cause various inconveniences). After about a kilometer, we arrive in the Palas de Rei. It is a compact town on a hill. At the church we descend into the town. In the town are several pilgrimage hostels and shops, otherwise is nothing special. A large number of pilgrims usually stay here for overnight.

We continue along the footpath, which descends slightly through chestnut, oak and eucalyptus forests into the valley to a small bridge, next to which is one of the better, smaller pilgrimage hostel Ponte Campanja.

The path then climbs abruptly past Mato-Cassanova to the village of Leboreiro, where a landmark reminds us, that we have reached the province of A Corunja, which is also the capital of the province of Galicia, but we will not go there. From here we follow the footpaths through the forest, mainly along the plain near the road to the town of Melide, 8 kilometers away. The town has some pilgrimage hostels, shops and a church. A special feature is the church on the hill, not far from the pilgrimage hostel, where is often a Holy Mass for pilgrims at the evening. In the altar of this church is Mary with three angels. We still have exactly 50 kilometers to walk to Santiago, well, after the new count 53...

We continue our way through a rather undulating landscape with many slight ascents and descents through mainly eucalyptus and partly chestnut forests and through a few small villages to 15 kilometers distant larger modern city Arzua, which is the last city before the Santiago. This city is full of pilgrimage hostels, shops, pilgrims, tourists, noise and everything else ... So there really is no good reason to stay here, it’s better to move further.

Next we follow on the footpaths, mostly through the forest and after 16 kilometers we come to a village near the road: Salceda, where is the first next hostel. In between, in the middle of the forest in the village of Calzada, where is a bar with a small shop. From Salceda we continue walk on about 6 kilometers along footpath, which goes mostly near the road to Santa Irene. In fact, it is just a small hamlet next to the church of St. Irene. Just a few hundred meters away, along the road is a pleasant small pilgrimage accommodation Santa Irene, where pilgrims also have access to the kitchen. There is an even smaller bar and a camping area. We have only a 23 kilometers to Santiago. This place is a great starting point for tomorrow when we get to Santiago. From here is only 23 kilometers to Santiago and if we start at 6:00 am, we arrive in Santiago in time to put the backpack on deposit and attend the pilgrimage Holy Mass at 12. In addition, we avoid the crowds of pilgrims - tourists, which are in the next, 3km distant town of Pedrouzo.

From here, the path slowly descends to the 4 km distant village of O Pino, and soon you come to a road and a fork: turn left into the tourist resort of Pedrouzo. In fact, it is just one longer street of compact newer houses and hotels, a little further on  the left is the old village center of Arca, next to the church, where every evening is a pilgrimage Holy Mass in Italian and Spanish. In the town are a large number of pilgrimage hostels, because a larger number of pilgrims usually gather here for overnight. First, the state-based pilgrimage hostel is right at the entrance to the town, on left side.

However, if we do not want to stay in that town and would like to move on as soon as possible, some 500 meters earlier, at the tfork in the village of Pino, we go straight across the road along the marked pilgrimage route and follow the shortcut behind the city on footpath through the forest. After about eight kilometers of walking along mostly forest footpaths and local roads through the undulating landscape, with many short ascents and descents, through smaller villages, we reach Santiago Airport, and then the RTV center to a small hill above the Santiago - Monte del Gozo. At the top, we reach the chapel of St. Mark, and next to it is a large monument to the former in 1989, when Pope John Paul II was here, when the World Youth Meeting was held here.

A little further on, lower in the direction to Santiago, is a larger tourist accommodation center, which is slowly deteriorating. The upper part, number 29, is reserved for pilgrimage hostel, so we can spend the night here, and every evening is a pilgrimage Holy Mass in a chapel two hundred meters backwards, at the monument. From the monument is a beautiful view of the surroundings, the city of Santiago and the large Cathedral of St.James in it.

7.) Santiago de compostela

We descend into the valley, cross the bridge over the highway, then we see a local sign, with the inscription Santiago ... First part is of the city is new,  modern part of the city, with various highrway intersections, a little further, on the hill is the old part of Santiago. One hour of walking around the city, and we reach the Cathedral, which is in the old part of city. At the beginning of the city is one pilgrimage hostel San Lazaro, but I do not recommend it because it is too far from the center and it still has poorly maintained toilets. Further along the route are even more pilgrimage hostels and the most recommended is pilgrimage hostel Seminario menjor, which is about a 15 minute of walk from the Cathedral.

Every pilgrimm who comes to Santiago, first goes to the Cathedral, then finds suitable accommodation, puts down the equipment and returns to the Cathedral (but if we come here in the morning, we hand over the equipment (backpack) to the deposit behind the Cathedral), In the Cathedral is in a crypt buried apostle St. James. Every day, at noon is in the cathedral a pilgrimage Holy Mass. Before the mass, they read the statistics of pilgrims every day and list the number of pilgrims by individual countries, where we came from (of course, they mention us only after we have picked up the certificate at the pilgrimage office). A special attraction in this church is the large incense burner, which is tied to a rope under the ceiling and is so large, that it has to be powered by ropes through a special mechanism by as four to eight monks. The incense burner swings across the front of the church here and there. (watch the movie). As a rule, it is run only on Thursdays at noon mass, and sometimes in addition to other times. There is no exact schedule, this is determined by the priest.
>>> Great botafumeiro - incense burner-  smoking >>>  (film) .
 In the altar is a statue of St. James, and below is a crypt, where is buried in a silver coffin the apostle St. James the Elder, who preached his teaching in this part of the world after Jesus left. (Iberian Peninsula). After a few years he returned to Jerusalem, where King Herod had him beheaded. His body was then transported by boat, by two of his disciples to the port of Padron, which lies about 45 km southwest of Santiago, and then buried there, and the disciples are also buried next to him. Later, a church and convent were built on the site, and slowly grew around it the large city of Santiago de compostela, which currently has almost 100,000 inhabitants.

Santiago is known around the world for this pilgrimage route, which began as early as the Middle age, then died out for a while, most recently, especially after the visit of Pope JPII. in 1989, more and more pilgrims from all over the world are on the way. The cathedral and other ancient buildings in the city and its wider surroundings are built of granite, that is, the hard and durable stone that Galicia has in abundance.

In addition to the Cathedral, are several other attractions in the city, in front of the Cathedral is a larger square, where are various events, pilgrims gather, and live music (on pipes) by the church during the day. In the city are several other churches. And let's not forget to go to the pilgrimage office, which is not far from the church, to get a certificate of pilgrimage.
Various events and concerts often take place in the vicinity of the church in the afternoon and evening, or pilgrims prepare something for themselves. However, if we are here around July 25, when St. James celebrates, then we go to the main square in front of the Cathedral on the evening of July 24, where  is a fireworks show at 11 pm. We have to be on the square until at least 9 pm, otherwise we can't get there anymore due to the big crowd. The show lasts just under an hour.
>>> Indian dance 2 >>>  (film - a group from Mexico that roams Calvor - Sarria - Santiago every year) .
>>> Indian dance 1 >>>  (film - a group from Mexico that roams Calvor - Sarria - Santiago every year) .
>>> Presentation and fireworks 24. july >>>  (film - presentation on the eve of the feast of St. James) .
>>> Parade with folk music >>>  (film - procession of musicians to the feast of St. James) .
>>> National music - Galicia >>>  >>  (film - a group of musicians plays the folk music of Galicia) .
>>> Pigrims singing and dancing >>>  (film - a group of pilgrims singing and dancing in the front of church) .
A little further from the center are bus and railway station, and 10 kilometers outside from the city is airport. .

8.) Way to the end of the world, to the Atlantic ocean (Santiago - Finistera - Muxia)
This part of the pilgrimage route starts at the Cathedral of Santiago and is a approximately 90 kilometers long to Cape Finistere and an additional 35 to Muxia. Finistera is the most western continental point of Europe, western of even Great Britain and Ireland (except Iceland of course). In Muxia, however, is the famous Church of Mary at the Atlantic coast.

At Santiago Cathedral, we go down along the street, past the police station and follow the signs. When we get out of the city, we turn onto a footpath and partly through eucalyptus forests, partly through smaller villages we walk to the town of Negreira, 25 kilometers away. Somewhere in the first third of the route we come to a more populated valley around the town of Ames, we walk along the road for a while, followed by a longer, steep ascent to Trasmonte. Then laid the descent into the valley, over the bridge Ponte Maceira, over the river on which is a small dam, then after a few kilometers of walking along the plain we are in Negreira.

Negreira is a town with several pilgrimage hostels and shops. The most famous is the "municipal" hostel (state-based),  just under a kilometer away from the city, left by the road. The accommodation is small, only for 22 people, and is built entirely of light granite bricks. On this part of route are only a few pilgrims, as most of other pilgrims do not continue in Santiago. In the hostel is a kitchen, so we can prepare our own dinner. Since the accommodation is a bit further from the city center, it is recommended, to buy food on the way in the town centre, so that you don't have to go back. If it's not too late, we can continue, because it's not too far to the next accommodation, but we have to stamp a pilgrimage booklet somewhere in Negreira , preferably in some bar.

Route continues past the church and climbs on the footpaths, through the eucalyptus forest, through smaller, poor villages and through open clearings. After two hours of walk, we reach the top of Alto de Pena, where is a small village Piaxe, with a church, bar and two smaller pilgrimage hostels, where is also possible to get a common dinner. However, there is a nice place, because is calm and a good view of the surroundings. Wind poweplants are spinning on the hill above the village.
After an hour and a half of walk, we arrive in the next village Villaserio, where are two smaller pilgrimage hostels. People in this part of country are mainly engaged in agriculture and livestock breeding. Due to the humid climate, the grass in this environment does not dry at all, but is processed into silage. Therefore, an unpleasant sour smell spreads around these farms, instead of a pleasant smell of dry hay.

After a further three hours of walking, we arrive on Monte Aro, from where we see a large blue lake in the valley. No, it's not the Atlantic ocean yet, it's just a lake. A little further on te path is the village, also with a small pilgrimage hostel and bar.

Finally, our route descends along the road into the valley, to the Ponte Olveira bridge and after a few kilometers to the village of Olveira, above which is hill,  sown with the wind powerplants. In the village are three pilgrimage hostels, the "municipal" (state-based) is cheap and has a kitchen. Otherwise, it is not exactly too clean, it is full of flies, often absent manager, poor sanitation... If it's not so late, we can continue walking, but we have to stamp a pilgrimage booklet somewhere in Olveira , preferably in the Casa Loncho bar.

Here is also a shop and three bars. A special feature of the villages in the province of Galicia, are the special "chapels" next to almost all the village houses. These are small snacks placed on stone pillars, which sometimes served as storehouses for corn, grain, and other crops, because the pillars made them inaccessible to mice and are airy enough that the grain did not spoil in this humid environment.

From Olveira, we ascend along a footpath to a hill, sown with the wind powerplants, and go along a footpath above a narrow valley with a dammed river for a smaller power plant. After one hour we arrive in a secluded village on the slopes - Logroso, where is pilgrimage hostel an bar. We soon reach the top, but a little earlier is a new light yellow building along the way, where  is a tourist/pilgrimage office, where we have to get a stamp (without this stamp we will have problems in Finisterre (and/or Muxia) in proving our walking, and us in the state-based hostels they refuse, and what's worse: we don't get a certicicat of this part of route,

At the top is the village of Hospital, is a bar, and about half a kilometer further we come to a roundabout where we have to decide where to go first: either to Finisterrre or in Muxia. To Finistere is 35, and to Muxia is 30 km. Not so far away on the ridge is thermal power plant and several wind powerplants.

- if we choose the right route, towards Muxia, we walk near the wind powerplants, partly along the footpaths, partly along the road. One kilometer before the village Dumbria, is a new pilgrimage hostel, that was opened in the village of Concho a few years ago. Just a few hundred meters before we reach this hostel, is a stamp in the valley near a house by the pilgrimage path outside, with which we have to stamp the pilgrimage booklet. From the Dumbria, our route climbs into the eucalyptus forest and for a long time we walk along a lonely footpath through the dense eucalyptus forest, through small villages and past individual farms to the other side of the hill, where we descend to the sea - Atlantic ocean, and then is another hour's of walk along the coastal road. to the village of Moraime, and from here over a small hill, where is the church of St. Roch, to the town Muxia.

Just before the town, we reach the sea (Atlantic Ocean). To enter the town, we go along wooden footbridges above the bay with a sandy shore. Here we come into the town of Muxia.
This route to Muxia is quite lonely, on the way are only a few houses, and we usually don’t meet anyone. On this part of route is no major view anywhere, as we walk through the forest almost all the time.

- However, if we turn left towards Finisterre at the roundabout, on the ridge at the previously mentioned thermal power plant, we will have a slightly longer, but much more varied route, where we will meet more people. We walk about a half of kilometer along the road, then turn right and descend slightly along the footpath, partly through a sparse pine forest of shrubs and eucalyptus trees, and mostly we walk through a fairly open landscape. In the first part, the path is a bit more varied with a few minor ascents and descents, and in the last part it is almost completely flat. We finally get to the saddle, where we have a unique view to the lowland, to the wide blue ocean, the city of Cee below, the wide Atlantic coast and the Finisterre peninsula. All the surrounding peaks are densely sown with wind poweplants.

From here follows a fairly short and steep descent along a poor, rather rocky footpath into the lowland to the town of Cee. The town of Cee is a smaller, rather sprawling town along the main road by the sea bay, at the Atlantic ocean. In the center of the town is a beautiful sandy beach by the sea, but the appearance is sometimes deceiving. This beautiful sand shines strangely somewhere, as if it were varnished ... If you walk barefoot on it, you feel its sharpness, as it is quartz sand in the form of tiny needles, which is not suitable for lying on the beach. In addition, the water in this bay is quite polluted, cold and on the beach are often decaying algae. In the town are several shops, pilgrimage hostels. In the town Cee is pilgrimage route poorly marked.

We leave the town of Cee along the coastal path in a western direction and when we reach the main road, we just cross it, and go right into the town of Corcubion, which basically sticks to the town of Cee. The path ascends along a narrow street, then we turn steeply right onto a footpath, that goes under the forest, above the town.

After two kilometers of ascent, we come to a small village, where is a little further on a saddle, than we come to the main road. Here we see on the left, slightly from the road, an older building in a low stone fence. This is a smaller pilgrimage hostel San Roque, one of the better ones along the way. It doesn’t open until 4pm. Entry rules are strict; if we happen to be missing a stamp from Negreira or Olveira or pilgrim office in Hospital, we have nothing to do for here... This is basically the only “parish” accommodation in Galicia, which runs by an elderly couple. The accommodation is secluded and we have common dinner in the  evening. To shorten the time, they have a special 2 meter picture on the table for assembling from pieces (puzzle). The picture is getting a little bigger every day...  

From here is a beautiful view to Cape Finisterre, where we arrive tomorrow.

From here we descend along the road to the village of Sardineiro, and then to the right, about a kilometer along the footpath through the forest above the village. Finally, we descend to the white sandy beach and along it all the way to the town of Fisterra, where we go into the center.
 

9.) Finistera - Muxia

A 32-kilometer route awaits us. From the center of Fisterra, we go back two kilometers along the main road to the village of Sv. Martin, where at a major intersection turn left and continue along the local road through smaller villages. At the signs, turn onto the footpath and walk partly along the unpaved roads and footpaths through the eucaliptus forests to the larger village of Lires. Nowhere is there any major ascent, and just before the village we meet pilgrims those walking in the opposite direction from Muxia towards Finisterre, otherwise the whole route is lonely and we meet almost no one on the way. We mostly walking through the eucalyptus forest.

We arrive in the village of Lires at the church of S. Esteban, and a little further is outside a stamp, with which we have to stamp our pilgrimage booklet (a notice is written). The path rises into the village. Here we can go to the red bar "As Eiras", where is also a pilgrimage hostel. It is also recommended to stamp a booklet here , because in Muxia are quite accurate, and we have problems if we do not have stamps from here (we cannot sleep in a state-based hostel and they do not give us a certificate of pilgrimage!).

The path descends to a larger stream and then slowly climbs on the hills. There are almost no more settlements in this part of the route, here are only a secluded small farms, and almost all the time we walk through eucalyptus forests. In the last part is a slightly larger ascent and then a fairly steep descent to the road, along which after two kilometers we reach a beautiful sandy sea bay on the left, and a little further is the town of Muxia.

10.) Muxia - Finistera

A 32-kilometer route awaits us. We leave Muxia along the right road by the sea (the sea must be on our right!) We walk along the road for about two kilometers, then we turn left onto the footpath and after a steep ascent we come onto the hill.

We walk through eucalyptus forests, there are no larger settlements along the way, only here and there is a house or a small farm. A gentle descent follows and when we cross a larger stream, is a short ascent to the village of Lires. Here we go to the red bar "As Eiras", which is also a pilgrimage hostel too. We must stamp the pilgrimage booklet here , because in Finistere are wery consistent, because if we don't have a stamp from Lires, we have nothing to do in the state-based pilgrimage hostel, nor do they give us a certificate of pilgrimage!, they simply dismiss us in a quick procedure. The path descends to the church of S.Esteban, where is another stamp outside and a notice that we have to get a stamp here again.

A little further from the village we meet pilgrims, that going in the opposite direction from Finisterre towards Muxia, otherwise the whole way is lonely and on the way we meet almost no one. We continue along footpaths and unpaved roads through the undulating land and eucaliptus forest landscape through smaller villages all the way to the main road, which we reach at the village of Sv. Martin. From here to the town of Fisterra is 2 km of walk along the main road (or a footpath along the sandy shore). In the town Fisterra we go to the center, next to the bus station.

11.) Finisterre

In the town of Fisterra we go to the center, where is a bus station, and a monument. It is only a few ten meters to the coast. The state-based pilgrimage hostel is right next to the bus station, and it opens at 13:00, here we also get a certificat of the pilgrimage to Finisterre (on the morning time in the tourist office). Upon enrollment, they are very consistent and strict, checking stamps (from Santiago!, Olveira, Negreira, Lires, checkpoints, hostels...). If we miss any of them, they will not accept us here, nor will they give us a certificat of the pilgrimage to Finisterre. In that case, we are left to spend the night in one of the private pilgrimage hostel in the town, or we can choose on one of them earlier, and go to the state-based only to get a certificate. The certificate is similar to this one, that we get in Santiago or/and Muxia. Such a strict procedure was introduced, because some pilgrims had previously abused cheap pilgrimage accommodation, even though they did not come here on foot, but were take a bus, or at least part of that route. Now the checkpoints are where are no bus routes (Olveira, Hospital at the fork, Lires,...)
Once we settle in and put down our backpack, we have time in the afternoon to explore the surroundings. The town of Fisterra lies along the Atlantic coast, on the inner side of the bay, so here are no major waves. Along the coast is a large square with many bars and restaurants. Town has a large number of pilgrimage hostels, bus station, post office and shops.

The real "finistere", is the cape, where is "the end of the world", it is less than one hour's walk along the footpath, near the road. First, when we get out of the town, is on the right side a small church, route is followed by a three kilometers long footpath near the road to the cape. The road is quite on higher elevation on the slope and has a beautiful view to the dark blue sea and the whole bay, all the way to the town of Cee and beyond. Somewhere in the middle of the path is a life-size stone statue of St. James.

At the top we come to a parking and stalls where they sell souvenirs and various food, a little further is the last landmark of St.Jeams way, with its 0.00 km. Three buildings are here: one smaller is a bar at the bottom,  obowe is hotel, and a little further is large lighthouse, which is a symbol of Finisterre. The lighthouse stands on the building that houses the museum. Admission is free, only voluntary donations are collected. The museum was closed a few years ago, but how it will be in the future is unknown...

In this museum, they present beautiful, hand-painted pictures on the theme of seafaring. Here we also get a stamp from the "end of the world" (fin de la tierra). However, if the museum is closed until a further notice, they have a stamp of the lighthouse "Fin de la tierra" (end of the world) in the O Refuxio bar , which is below, just in front of the Hotel O Semaforo.

From the lighthouse we can go a little further, down between the stones. Pilgrims used to ritually burn a piece of their pilgrimage equipment here, but now this is forbidden, and the stones are still black here, and small (non-dangerous) green lizards jumps on them.
From here is a beautiful view to the Atlantic ocean - the endless wild ocean, that surrounds us on three sides. There is no way forward, we can only go backward... We are on the top-western point of Europe and in the Middle Ages (before the discovery of America) people thought, that the world ends here... The sun is here so lazy, so in summer (25 Jun) it sets a little after 10 pm and rises a little after half past eight in the morning.
We are quite high on the cape, almost 100 meters above sea level, to which steep precipices lead. The sea waves are striking into the rocks with wild, sparkling waves, so we probably won't even think about swimming on it... This coast in the wider area of ​​the western Galicia is called the "Costa da morte" (coast of the death). Numerous shipwrecks have often occurred in this area in the past due to the wild sea and underwater cliffs.

Then we return into the town. If the weather is clear, let's not forget to go back to the cape (or on the beach Fora on the western side of the town) in the evening!, where the pilgrims have a kind of ritual watching the sunset - the end of the pilgrimage. We siting on the rocks by the lighthouse and watching the red sun, which slowly sinking into the water. The last moments on the cape are special and interesting, because we are about 100 meters above sea level and the sun is lower, than we get the feeling of it shining from the bottom to up... Some pilgrims singing, others claping,... Soon after sunset they turn on a lighthouse, and we return into the town. Although the hostel closes at 10pm, we can enter as each pilgrim gets a code to open a door that is locked with an electronic lock. (at least in a state-based hostel it is so). However, if for us is too far to walk in the evening to the cape, we can go and watch the sunset on the beach Fora, which is over a small hill on the western side of the town Fisterra.

12.) Muxia (pronounced Mushya)

If you come to the town from the direction of Finisterre, at the first intersection in the town, turn right and climb to the pilgrimage hostel, which is on a hill, at the end of the upper street, slightly above the city. However, if you come from the direction of Olveira, as soon as you get to the town, turn left and climb up to the hostel, which is in a concrete building, at the top of a steep street. The hostel opens at 1 p.m. We drop off the equipment here and if we have all the stamps, that are Lires, Olveira, Negreira, Santiago, control checkpoints,... (same as in Fisterra), we can stay here overnight and get a certificat of the pilgrimage to Muxia, similar to that we get in Santiago and Finistere. The hostel is new and spacious, and there is also a kitchen available for pilgrims. At the top is an open terrace for socializing in the evenings. However, in addition to the state-based hostel, there is another private, one slightly lower and another one in the town center, when they are not so strict about stamps...

After completing the formalities, we descend to the town along the short street. Muxia lies on a narrow peninsula in the top northwestern part of the Iberian Peninsula, and is known for the Church of Mary on the Atlantic. Above the town is a small hill, Monte Corpinyo, and behind, on the rocky shore at the top-end of the peninsula, is the aforementioned Church of Mary "La nostra Seniora de la barca" or La Virxe de la barca (Mary, queen of sailors).
According to a legend, this place was an ancient Roman town with the port, and once to around year 40, Mary visits here apostle St Jakob. She arrived here from Judeah with a merchant ship.

In 1544 a small church dedicated to Mary was built here, and the present church was built in 1719. Now this church is quite visited, there are a lot of tourists and every Saturday is here a larger number of weddings. Every evening is here a Holy mass, sometimes (on Sundays) at noon to. On Christmas Day, 2013, due to defects on the electrical system was a fire, which burned on the altar, burnt the roof and altair. Until now, they have restored a new roof, instead of the altar on the wall  is painted image of it, instead of a picture of Mary in the altar, is now a statue of Mary with angels on the ship,. (2019).
They restored a few  models of ships in glass cases,  and around the statue of Mary they painted the altar. It is expected, that this is only temporary and they will eventually restore everything to its original condition in the future. In the church are some models of boats under the ceiling.
After the Holy Mass, we can go to the sacristy, where they sell souvenirs and we also get a stamp of this church.

In front of the church, on the Atlantic coast, are large  granite rocks, into which  striking the wild waves of the Atlantic Ocean. The difference between high tide and low tide is here more than 2 meters. The rocks are black due to a tanker accident, that happened nearby in 2002, when volunteers from all the Europe helped clean up the coast. A little above of the church is a monument to this event in the form of a half-broken stone pillar.

In the town is another, parish church, several shops, a bus station, with direct bus-lines to Santiago, Negreira and Finisterre, several shops and a tourist office. We can also climb on the Monte Corpinyo, hill along the footpath from the the Church of Mary, and from here is a beautiful view to the town. At the bottom right we see some remnants of labyrinths, these are a remnants of an ancient roman town from history. The weather in this part is very unpredictable, often is here fog, suddenly attracts over the ocean, but if it is sunny, is wery beautiful on the rocks at front of the church and due to the reflection of sunlight from the sea and rocks we quickly get a very pronounced red color if we stay here too long...

(november 2021)
(I have done this route 5 times)

Skupaj - ogledi vseh strani: