Author Archives: janeinspain.blog

We are keeping in touch with Robin and Kevin via “WhatsApp”.  (They are the hikers from Superior, Wisconsin that we met at the REI store in Bloomington). They left home the same day we did and are walking Camino Frances starting in St. Jean Pied-de-Port which is the 500 mile Camino Terry and I walked lastContinue reading “The Superior Hikers on Camino Frances”

31 March 2018 Today we are going touring with Diane’s cousin Mariano. We grabbed breakfast at El Cardena which is across from our hotel. They gave us tapas while we waited for our breakfast orders. We were to meet Mariano at the palace. We were early and while we waited, we saw the changing ofContinue reading “Holy Saturday in Madrid”

30 March 2018 We are meeting Diane’s cousin Mariano at 10:30 am today. Ooops! We overslept and now were meeting him at 1:00 instead. Everybody was up and ready to roll by 10:30. We headed to the San Miguel Market for breakfast but stopped at an interesting bakery. For the Easter holiday they make somethingContinue reading “Good Friday in Spain”

3 APRIL 2018 Adventures in Plaza Mayor and the Market We started the day around 10:00 am with a walk down to Plaza Mayor to the San Miguel market. Veronica and Andrea joined us today. They are from Mexico but lived in San Diego for many years. Andrea is a friend of Ellen’s daughter CarlyContinue reading “Holy Thursday in Madrid”

1 APRIL 2018 After flying all night, Diane and I arrived in Madrid via Iberia airlines on Wednesday morning around 7:00 am. It was so exciting to be back in Spain. We made our way to the hotel, checked-in and headed to Atocha train station. There was a giant atrium in the middle of theContinue reading “Touchdown in Spain”

26 MARCH 2018   Preparing for Spain and Camino Finisterre 2018 When Terry and I went on our Camino adventure in 2017, we spent countless hours figuring out what to bring. The trick was getting it to fit in a backpack and keep it at a reasonable weight. I revised the pack list many timesContinue reading “2018 Walking Camino Finisterre  “

25 March 2018 YAY! I’m finished! Not only did I finish the Camino Frances last May, but I just finished it’s blog today. When I returned to reality last June, my life became very full, quickly. Finding time to complete the last few posts was not the highest priority on my list until now. It’sContinue reading ” Reflections on Walking Camino Frances”

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7, 2017 Barcelona is enchanting, magical and lives next to a large body of water called the Balearic Sea which feeds into the Mediterranean. The city exceeded my expectations and made me wish we had more time (and money) to stay longer. We had just been spoiled by the beautiful beaches of SanContinue reading “Jane & David: Barcelona”

MONDAY, JUNE 5, 2017 Next stop San Sebastian which is also called Donostia, its Basque name. We were convinced that we needed to visit this land of golden beaches, lush hills and exquisite cuisine by our son Quinn and fiance Emily. They raved about the food and with good reason. San Sebastian is the secondContinue reading “Jane & David: San Sabastian”

SUNDAY, JUNE 4, 2017 Toledo is a nice day trip from Madrid. It’s about an hour away. We hopped a bus and headed there. This ancient walled city sits on a hill above the plains of Castilla-La Mancha in central Spain. It has an unusual combination of medieval Arab, Jewish and Christian monuments. It’s a steepContinue reading “Jane & David: Toledo”

Bull fights, known here as Corrida de Toros are a ritual and spectacle with roots from the 18th century.  Supporters of bullfighting say it is part of the heritage — an art form that must be respected. They point out that the average cow raised for consumption lives a confined life of less than twoContinue reading “Madrid: What’s the Bull all about?”

JUNE 2-5, 2017 We hopped a bus from Santiago to Madrid late Thursday evening around 9pm and arrived in Madrid around 7am. We were very lucky that that hotel let us check in around 8am. This is Puerto del Sol, it is the ‘Times Square” of Madrid. It seems to be filled with people allContinue reading “Jane & David: Madrid”

DAY 45: THURSDAY, JUNE 1, 2017 What is the most frequently asked question by people we have met on the Camino after we tell them, we came together from St. Louis Park Minnesota and we walked from St. Jean Pied-de-Port to Santiago? Everyone says, “Are you still friends?” And the answer, “yep, we are.” TerryContinue reading “All Good Things Come to an End”

DAY 44: WEDNESDAY, MAY 31 We bought “excursion” tickets that provided transportation to Muxia which is a little fishing town with picturesque views. Our driver Martin stopped at the beach at Lires. This part of the coast is called Costa da Morte, Coast of Death. We saw a few people in wet suits surfing. We wereContinue reading “Finisterre to Muxia”

DAY 43: TUESDAY, MAY 30, 2017 Even though we have finished our Camino, the trail continues out to the Atlantic Ocean to Finisterre. In the Columbus era, Finisterre was thought to be the end of the world. Terry, David and I took a two-hour bus ride to check it out. This is the hostel weContinue reading “Santiago to Finisterre”

DAY 42: MONDAY, MAY 29, 2017 PILGRIM RITUALS: There are a few rituals that pilgrims like to participate in once they reach Santiago. One is going to a Pilgrim mass at the Cathedral. And, if you are so fortunate, you may also see botafumeiro ritual take place at the end of mass. This is theContinue reading “Santiago”

DAY 41: SUNDAY, MAY 28, 2017 Exciting morning! It was our last nite as roommates. Now we’re heading out to finish the Camino. Only a few miles into Santiago. Getting closer. Monte de Gozo is the last hill before Santiago. It is where the pilgrims would get their first glimpse of Santiago and they couldContinue reading “San Marcos to Santiago”

DAY 40: SATURDAY, MAY 27, 2017 We are so close to Santiago right now … about 20K (12.4 miles). You can feel the buzz among the many pilgrims staying in O Pedrouzo. There are a lot of “shiny pennies” (those whose started in Sarria which is 100K from Santiago). They are very eager to getContinue reading “O Pedrouzo to San Marcos”

DAY 39: FRIDAY, MAY 26, 2017 A couple we had met, Ian and Valerie, told us how much they liked leaving at 4-5 am. They said, by 9:00 am you have half your day done and you can quit walking at noon. They said how wonderful it was to see the Milky Way. So, onContinue reading “Arzua to O Pedrouzo”