Boog's Blog

24 Sept. Nice day for a walk. One slight drizzle.

Bobby came up from London to join us for the weekend and for walking.

Total we “Little Budworth” pleasant walk with 13 stiles, some of which are pictured on Flickr site.

URL http://Flickr.com/photos/boogskbqb

Had to raise my voice in the overpriced hotel when they wanted 15 pounds for net connectivity. Bob had read the web site and believed it offered free connectivity. They finally saw it my way.

The main reason for the over priced rooms is the sold out city due to this being race day in Chester. Hats and fascinators abound. Smartly dressed folks walking and doing a lot of drinking. Festive.

We had a high end dinner at Abode. Famous two star Michelin chef. Good, very good, but not great. Prices were not London prices.

Chester has the most complete wall in England, we will walk it tomorrow. Also has the second most photographed clock in the UK. Good pic on Flickr.

Sept.23. Sunny and a bit too warm for walking.

Two walks today, both easy ones, links below.

The water park is literally a park filled with recreational water related amusements. Boating, jet skis, fishing, power boats, plus non-water based miniature railroad, biking, etc. The walk was an easier version of the Jordan Lake walk in Acadia. Easy paths, no rocks to scramble over. A very pleasant easy walk.

Not tired out we headed to Polesworth, second link. More interesting. Fresh blackberries off the bushes. Smaller than Whole Foods and far better taste. Walking along the canal tow path we got to chat with the barges moving along at our speed. As the water was low the barges could not go their full 4 miles per hour.

One owner, on the canal for half a year, balance at home, mentioned the expense of 3000 pounds for mooring, license etc. His boat was spotless and perfectly painted. We then noticed that almost all the boats were clean, polished and attractively painted. A few minutes later we saw a woman waving upriver. I asked, jokingly, you the spotter? Well, yes. There are three other boats near us and they are cleaning and polishing their boats, do not wish to compete, spotting a spot for us to moor away from the others.

Some pictures of Coombe Abbey gardens and the building here and on our Flickr site. Flickr pics not fully loaded or sorted.

Leek and potato soup, chicken tikka marsala for dinner. The Abbey has a first rate kitchen. Had trio of pork last evening while QB had halibut.

Kingsburywater park. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingsbury_Water_Park

manor and abby at polesworth
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polesworth_Abbey

some pictures of the day

22 Sept. Nice day, pretty good for walking.

Overslept, must have been jet-lag. Before retiring QB said:
“it is vacation. It is not fun. Get up early. ” So much for intentions or instructions.

Off to Stowe for a walk over field and landscaped gardens, fresh scones and pots of teas at the national trust tea house.

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-stowegardens/
Stowe house and gardens near Chackmore

Pictured is an 18th century bridge, and a wild?? Pig encountered along with other livestock.

Then, after an adventure with the NHS and Boots- a story best left for another telling, all worked out well, and a stroll around the perfectly ordinary, in a good way,English small city of Coventry we headed towards Coombe and a hotel called Coombe Abbey.

Coombe Abbey is now a semi-modern hotel. Was an Abby in the 12th century and remained so until HenryVIII dissolved them for his greater good. In 1925 became a private house but not before Hearst moved moved of the stonework and some of the interior to San Simeon. Many gentle readers will have seen more of the original abbey than we have.

Lovely place. Good kitchen too.

21 September.  Cloudy very slight drizzle
Milton Keynes,MK, is a new city.  Mid-century, 20th, not medieval but….. So rectlinear and concrete based that one wonders about the famous collection of architecs that were engaged.  See wikipedia for more details. 

Highlight of arrival was the immediate entry on the M25 with a right hand drive manual shift. Does have an automatic choak unlike last time.

Tomorrow we start walking. Tonight mostly sleeping. 

The next adventure mostly worked out.

Walk Hadrian’s Wall and then down East Anglia to Canterbury.

Boogs sack England. BSE.

8 November Intermittent rain

The Camino walk ended yesterday. This blog, at least the Busca portion, ends today.

First some stats:

Distance walked or biked from the GPS: 1789 kilometers, a bit over a 1000 miles

Climbed 15200 meters or just shy of ten miles.

Title earned: C2-QB When one completes the Hegira their legal name is prefixed by Haj. KB has now bestowed the appellation C2 to the QB. Completo Camino.

Camino Ditty composed, to the tune of “Tipperary”

It’s a long way to Santiago,
From Le Puy through Spain,
It’s a long way to Santiago,
With the blisters, rocks and pain.

Goodby Palo Alto,
Farewell Union Square,
It’s been a long long way to Santiago,
And now we are there.

Santiago’s cathedral looks like a sandcastle; just so many spires and crevices and points, each appropriately weathered.

We visited today for several purposes. Sharon wanted to light a candle for Mary, no real candles anymore, only electric ones, where one puts in euro coins of sufficient quantity and a candle lights up. With many sections available C2-QB chose a prayer from Saint Anthony.

KB wanted to hear the Organ and the singing. As we picked a noon time Mass both were well heard and worth hearing. I just like the big organs. A woman led the singing and her voice, the acustics, and the sound system combined to produce wonderful sounds.

Did a standard, translate as big, Spanish lunch. Paella and Percepes. The latter are found only in Portugal and Galicia according to Bob. They are barnacles that one sucks out of their tubes. Taste a bit like clams. Good, expensive, but not outstanding to my taste. Bob’s view differs.

Percepes

We made it

With a little help from Bob.

6 November partly cloudy to very cloudy, nice temp for walking or riding

First, yesterday’s post got messed up due to conductivity problems. None of the pics added by me were added. Pilgrimages are like this.

Today Bob walked with QB. They walked together for the full route and seem to have enjoyed the walk and experience. KB rode the Camino but today it was really a mountain bike trail, many rocks of many sizes almost the whole way – will take the road tomorrow.

Overall a nice autumn walk on a path that was, for walkers, one of the easiest of the trip.

QB mentioned the feeling of relaxation from the ending of the walk.

Not much on the way today except rocks and dirt. No architectural works – guess we are too close to Santiago to invest in the ‘burbs’.

Of note: clean socks and other sundries for Santiago. The place we are staying has a laundry.

Did see a current use for the orrio, see picture.

The local news has been on all day in all the bars and hotels. The O Papa arrived around 11:30, amid much security, kissing of ring, protocol and then did two masses, both in Latin. Full choir, maybe several, full orchestra, four soloists, and a packed cathedral for one mass and outside in the square for the second. Broadcast on TV and with Jumbotrons in the square.

Spoke to quite a few persons on the pilgrimage about the visit of O Papa. Only one was trying to get to Santiago to be part of the experience. Most or all others either scorned the crowds or this Pope. He clearly is not popular in Europe.

Now with Bobby

5 November warm and sunny

QB sleeping. Tired from today’s walk. Her view is that she is winding down from this adventure.

As the road was so boring yesterday and as this is the last day QB and KB will be alone took the Camino path. Some hard bits but overall worth it as it was scenic.

No camera pics today will be sent as for some reason my net connection is excellent from the Android and does not work acceptably from the iPad. No explanation.

Yesterday a Spanish woman spelled the smoke houses orreio, today found them pictured in a book and seller horreo.  Maybe galagos versus Spanish. Hard to know.

Bob arrives.  Bob bran bread arrived.  We prepared for the breads arrival by purchasing the local cheese.  According to the guide books this is the only item of note in the town. Did not fond even one church worth a photo. 

4 November sunny and warm with days getting even warmer

Shorter day today, and a good thing.

We are getting close to Santiago and the stages seem to have been set shorter, maybe due to accommodations or time to enjoy Galicia. The food is certainly better here and the walks have been a lot more scenic.

QB walked on drugs again. As the ride was shorter I went out to meet her on the trail. Got to see some more of the Camino and to stretch my legs. Very hilly section.

In some ways the ride today was less than ideal. No flat spots. Up a hill, then down a hill, then up a steeper hill and down a steeper one. Each downhill let my hip get cold so the uphill was quite painful until I climbed a bit and the hip warmed up or got inflamed again, hard to tell. Then downhill again.

One real advantage of the shorter day is that we have had time to prepare for Bob’s arrival tomorrow. Silver polished, shoes cleaned and buffed, new ascots, provisions laid in for feeding on the road.

Melide is a largish town with little to recommend it. A few more Romanesque churches ( but we have all seen many of them by now) and shops and bars. A largish town for people to live in. Highlight was the shoe store, artesian, that made nice saddle leather shoes and accessories. That and the supermercado where QB got some more of her favorite cookies. No gazpacho soup in the drinks section so less to recommend it for me.

And yet another church

3 November A very overcast start, low visibility while climbing, then bright and sunny

QB soldiered on with her injured knee. 15 miles. Last longish day as the next three segments are shorter and much easier. Today, as mentioned in yesterday’s post, was to have the hardest stage of the entire pilgrimage. Not really but not easy.

Day starts with a single ESB climb (350 meters), some of it at 7% but most at a bit easier grade. One then reaches the small, and I mean small, town of Ventas de Nar’on. Thirteen people live there. Two extended families. Each run an Auberge for pilgrims. Learn Gallegos in school, play outdoor games and is very family friendly according to the barkeeper at one of the two establishments. She taught Spanish in Granada but moved to Ventas to have her children out of the “big city”, to run a bar and take care of cows. Her English was excellent.

Discussed the small rectangular buildings seen pictured (the wood version which lead off the post) yesterday. Always raised and made of either stone, or brick or wood.

Called “orrio”. Used, in the past as drying houses for meat. Maybe smoking of meat as well.

Then on a very lovely country road, undulating with some very steep bits up and down, but spectacular in the bright sun. Many small villages. Seems as if the road has been fully repaired as the guide book said that this road had sufficient pot holes and damage to bend rims or split tires. Found none of that, just a very nice road to either walk or ride.

Day ended up with 1.5 ESB of climbing.

QB during a feeding break saw sheep run amok. They were outside the restaurant in the middle of the street looking confused and guilty. A hearty farm woman shouted them back to a corral.
QB continued through the mud and rocks and running water that is the Camino in this area.

Staying in a nice on the outside place, ok inside, complex of buildings. Of especial note is that they have coin operated laundry on the premises. QB asked me to drape myself over the machines to protect them while she is walking.

Shout out to Bob M. Frequent contributor to this conversation he is aware of the distress
QB is in. So, he has been in training to strengthen his back and arms. Now in shape he will join us on the Camino and carry, yes carry, the QB the final 30+ kms to Santiago. Expecting to see a very buff Bob on the 5th.

Threat down, thanks to Stephen Colbert and friends: Mountains; there are too many of them and they obscure the view.

The mentioned sheep.

Some views, first in the morning from

As the fog lifted at the top of the first pass