Finishing the camino!

So, I haven't spent this week finishing the camino but I have every intention of continuing on Wednesday. I will go to Samos and continue from there.

Bavaria

Saturday, 2nd October 2010

After a, not very restful, night spent at the airport I arrive at Munich. I had, inadvertently, chosen the last weekend of the Oktoberfest for my visit. Munich station was full of young people, the majority in Bavarian dress, dirndls or lederhosen. I 'did' the Oktoberfest many years ago, when I was young, which is definitely the best time to do it, so I proceed to my destination, Schliersee, which is in the Bavarian Oberland. Before leaving Munich station I did a bit of food shopping, as I was not sure there would be any shops open when I arrived. The apartments take a bit of finding as the map they have provided seemed to suggest taking a back road, unfortunately the building is not named from that side and their are no road signs, I walked 2 to 3 kilometres more than I needed, then two little girls on bicycles kindly escorted me back to the right place. I then find that there is a supermarket open on Saturday afternoon so I shop a little more, then collapse. The apartments can receive BBC, not sure how, but it is lovely to 'chill out' watching English television and recover from my lack of sleep.

Sunday, 3rd October

I investigate the small town and find the lake. The town is typical Bavarian, chalet type houses and lots of flowers.

The lake is beautiful and the weather is excellent. I discover that there are boat trips, initially I plan to do one later in the week, then I realise that during the week it may not be so easy. This being Sunday there are lots of locals out and about, so I join them for a trip around the lake. the trip goes around but stops at strategic points on the way.
I go almost around then I see this beautiful terrace restaurant and decide to investigate. I stopped for a beer and to admire the scenery then back to the apartment for lunch.

Over lunch I read some blurb and discover that there is what is described as a handwork fair in the village at the far end of the lake, so, in the afternoon, I walked to the top of the lake. I wouldn't really describe it as a handwork fair, but as I arrive mid afternoon it could be that I missed a lot. I did see this enormous pumpkin!

Monday, 4th October

Another beautiful day, I have a lazy morning, just a wander around, then lunch by the lake, at the terrace restaurant. Then I get the gondola to the top of the local mountain.

At the top there is a hotel and restaurant, a children's play area with a tiny train. There is an alternative way to descend, by toboggan!

Unfortunately my camera battery is flat so I don't manage to get a photo of anyone coming down that way but there are plenty of takers. I walked down the mountain and meet loads of teenagers walking up, all for the pleasure of coming down by toboggan. I also see some older people, I almost think that I might have succumbed if I had been with someone to encourage me!

I took this photo a few days later.

Tuesday, 5th October

A visit to Munich. I have to start by buying a ticket from the automatic ticket machine! This has a touch screen and the screen saver was on view when I started so I touched the screen in the wrong place. I was surprised that my return ticket to Munich was only costing 7.6 euros, when the single had cost over 10, but I bought the ticket. Fortunately I realised that I had, in fact, bought a ticket for Bayrischzell, further up the valley, rather than for Munich, before I cancelled it, but this then gave me my plan for the next day!

In Munich I start by going to the booking office at the station to book a train for Ulm on Thursday and to organise my train to Zurich on Saturday. There is a special queue for English speaking tourists and I opted for this. I really should have been practicing my German but my plans fro Saturday were complicated. It was a charming young man at the desk, who was very helpful. Unfortunately I then arrive in the Marienplatz just as the Carillon finishes.

The last time I was in Munich I ate in the Rathouse Keller, the restaurant under the Town Hall. I remember it as being a large vaulted chamber, with men eating on their own at almost every table! I decided to have lunch there but I discover, that like almost anything, it has changed a lot, still I enjoy my meal. Over lunch I study the map and after lunch I head for the Market. The fruit and veg are truly impressively presented.

It is raining on and off. Not too severely to make wondering around uncomfortable but enough to make long pauses unpleasant.

Munich is a beautiful city, I just have one unanswered question. When I was last there I went into a very impressive baroque church. There were photos inside that showed what the church looked like after the war and it had been totally re-built. I was quite disappointed. I think the new build at Coventry is a much better idea. I had thought this church was in the Marienplatz but it isn't, so where is it?

Wednesday, 6th October

The train ride to Bayrishczell.

The town is very pretty.







I decided that I should have a walk and found a foot path. in fact there were loads if I had had the right information. I found loads when I came back down, but most were long and I was not inclined so I walked to to a waterfall. The walking was difficult as it had rained heavily during the night and it was damp and slippery underfoot and I didn't have a stick. It was also humid. On the way I saw this sign!!

Beware black cats! I thought black cats were lucky!

The view across the valley.








Thursday, 7th October

Visit to Ulm. Thanks to the helpful young man at the train station I had a days travel card, as this was very cheap I bought a First Class one, it felt very strange as I don't usually travel First Class.

Ulm is really beautiful. The cathedral has the world's tallest spire. I had timed my visit to arrive for the midday organ concert but there wasn't one! So I hired an audio guide from the tourist information office and wondered around. There is lots that is worth seeing but the Fishermen's quarter and the Crooked house are truly impressive.

I think it is the first time I have seen the River Danube, one day I want to cruise the Danube from Vienna to the Black Sea but I'll leave that till I'm very old!

Friday, 8th October

My last day. The weather is really strange. The weather forecast says sun, but instead it is anti cyclonic gloom, but the gloom is very low flying cloud. Occasionally there are clear moments then mist and fog comes in again.

I opted for a walk all around the lake. I had seen from the train that the path at the Schliersee end of the lake might be difficult to find so I decided to go that way but once again my logical plan never materialised. I walked the other way!

The walk was supposed to be 7kms and the changing weather conditions made it specially interesting.

Unfortunately the Schliersee end was quite as difficult as I had expected and I forgot to take my map with me. The signs kept pointing in different directions and then petering out and pointing back the way I'd just come. At one point it became very misty and quite disorientating. I knew that I could always walk back around the lake again so it was not really worrying but annoying. It was easy to see how dangerous it can be in the mountains in such circumstances.

In the end I found a man sitting on a bench and he pointed me in the right direction. I certainly walked a lot further than the 7k but it was all flat so nice and easy. When I got back and looked at the map I discovered that I had been very close to where I wanted to be.

Saturday, 9th October

The journey home.

There is no flight from Santiago to Munich but there is to Zurich. I got round this on the way out by booking a flight to Stansted and the from Stansted to Munich. I've since discovered that I'm probably always best to look at flights via Madrid. However I liked the idea of travelling via Zurich, especially when I discovered that the train journey from Munich to Zurich can include a boat trip across Lake Constance, so this is what I had decided to do.

The boat goes from Freidrichshafen to Romanshorn.

Unfortunately it was another cloudy day so I didn't see any mountains in Switzerland.

Zurich airport is an experience, beats Santiago or Stansted hands down! A series of very upmarket shopping areas, very big, no queues. You don't go through security until just before the departure gates so there are dozens of security zones around the airport, though it does seem odd to have duty free shops before security as there is no point in buying alcohol of any description.

The strangest thing of all is that I did not go through passport control at all on my way home! Not between Germany and Switzerland, not at Zurich Airport and not even when I arrived at Santiago.

away again (on the way)

Wednesday, 29th September


Off to Germany for a week, via London! When I bought my ticket for today I knew there was going to be a general strike in Spain but I thought: 'That won't affect planes!!!' Then I remembered Air traffic Controllers! So I've been worrying about this flight for a while. Ryanair forgot about ATC as well and only thought about baggage handlers! Initially they said hand luggage only on all flights, this wasn't a problem as I only intended to take hand luggage. Suddenly the evening before they announced that most flights would be cancelled. They had a whole page of cancellations!!! I went through the list and my flight wasn't there! I went through the list again and again but no sign of my flight. I even got up early in the morning to check again but no sign of my flight being cancelled, I really couldn't believe this but I went to the airport and it showed my flight as coming in early! It didn't of course, ATC made it fly around for half an hour. Only 2 flights from Santiago showed as not being cancelled and one was mine, I really could not believe that I should be so lucky but I was and I got to London on time.



I made my way to Alton without problems, there I started by going to Sainsbury's, where I went totally mad, buying things like Christmas pud and custard powder! (My case was full of fruit and veg rather than clothes, it's now full again and I still have no clothes) After Sainsbury's I got lost and walked around in the rain for more than half an hour but eventually I found the house and could dry off and relax.



Thursday, 30th September

Back to London to get the train to Sheffield. I had to cross London from Waterloo to St Pancras. I had studied the Underground map and decided on my route. More particularly I decided not to take the Jubilee line as it is such a long walk. So what do I do, I go straight to the Jubilee line, 10 minutes later I get to the tube station! At Green Park I get off and there I heard an announcement saying that due to a suspected emergency all passengers must leave the station immediately! So there I was at Green Park with about 30 minutes to get to St Pancras, not good. I started walking to Picadilly Circus but realised that this was not necessarily a good idea so I got a taxi. I haven't been to St Pancras since it became the International Station, when I got back and saw it from the other angle I could see that it is very well done but arriving via the International entrance and with only a few minutes to spare it was very confusing, but I made it. I had a lovely day in Sheffield and had lunch with Jason. I was able to get rid of a bag of fruit and veg! A good opportunity to share the produce of my land with my sons, or one of them anyway!
The journey back to Alton was uneventful and I managed not to get lost this time.

Friday 1st October
Back to London again, this time with all my luggage, I looked for left luggage but 'left luggage' at Waterloo costs £8 so I gave up on that idea and carted my case around with me. It was pouring with rain and very windy! I had a lovely lunch with Aidan and then we did the tourist thing and walked to Trafalgar Square, down the Mall, across Green Park and back down Picadilly. I took Aidan into Fortnum and Mason! It has changed a bit from how I remember it, not quite so impressive I think.
I know we often went to London when the boys were young but it seems to be a long time since Aidan went, and this was his first time as an adult.
When we parted I went to the Festival Hall for a concert ( Faure, Saint-Saens and Stravinsky) . It's the second time this year that I have been to a concert simply because it was the only thing on when I was in London, in July I went to a Prom and heard Shostakovitch, to my surprise I really enjoyed both concerts, I'm widening my horizons in my old age!
After the concert it was off to Stansted to spend the night. I bought a small bottle of wine and some 'sushi' in Waterloo on my way through, and had a late supper! Then I made the mistake of trying to sleep in the departure area at the airport, I hadn't realised how busy it is during the night! Next time I'll stay in arrivals!!! When I arrived I planned to change my clothes but found that the clothes in my case were as qwet as the ones I was wearing, I must have pulled my case through every puddle in London.

Sunday walks

I'm going to have to rethink my Sunday walks. Despite years of nursing and working Sundays I still have a belief, the result of my catholic upbringing, that weekends are weekends and that Sunday is a day of rest. During the week I work during the morning, (at the moment this is digging one of my plots of land!), the weekends I like to walk but Sunday is becoming impossible. The woods are invaded by hunters and now, if I stick to the road, I am being attacked by dogs. For the last couple of weeks two of the dogs, in a neighbouring village, have taken a fancy to me, they jump around me and fight each other for my attention. That doesn't worry me too much as I don't think they wish me any harm, though it is a little disconcerting! Today I was 'attacked' by four, two were the 'friendly' dogs but two were distinctly unfriendly, one even nipped the back of my leg. I wished I'd had a stick!
It's definately limiting my Sunday walks, I think there is now only one possible route I can take. I may yet be reduced to working outside on a Sunday!

Funny things!

Today I have answered a question that confused me greatly last autumn. The strange 'walkway' that wasn't, that Carmen said was a canal! As seen above.

Last week, from a distance, I saw a stretch that didn't have a cover and could see that it had water in it! Today I got closer, this is a covered canal with very fast flowing water, all that remains now is to find out why?

preparing for the camino again!

I've put my walking boots on again this weekend. After a summer of only wearing sandals it is quite strange, my boots are pretty warn out too but it isn't the right moment to buy new ones. I'm going to be hard put to get much practice in this time. Only walking a week is probably as hard as setting off for the whole camino as you just don't get time to be adjusted. The weather is still very hot during the day so I walked in the early morning mist today.

It's also difficult to know where to walk on Sundays. I wasn't sure if the hunting season had started yet so I decided to avoid the woods today and stick to the road, then I forgot why I had chosen that particular route and decided to extend the walk by coming back through the wood! There I was walking up a road, just coming out of the mist and there was a man with a gun! It's a good job I'm not really a nervous type. I thought that would mean it really was safe to walk back through the wood, but no! Coming back I met two men with guns, there's really no winning. I met a fox this morning as well, that's a first. I don't think they are hunting foxes but I suspect some of the dogs aren't too fussy!

A month today I should be walking from Ribadiso to Pedrouzo!

Saturday, 18th September

Another long walk today, I survived it well though I'm back to finding hills difficult. I'm tossing up whether to be firm with myself tomorrow and do a very hilly walk or take an easier option. I know that Santiago to Finisterra is hilly so maybe I should be firm!!

I saw an animal yesterday!! it was black and looked like it belonged to the stoat/weasel family, I'm wondering was it a polecat or a mink? Will I ever know?

Sunday, 19th September

I was lazy this morning and decided not to take the longer walk that would have entailed a 400metre descent, before returning by almost the same path. I much prefer to do a circular route to a there and back but the path I used to take back last autumn has become so wet and muddy that even over the summer it hasn't dried out.

The photo below shows my village from the hills I was walking on yesterday, walking on the flat isn't really an option here!

My main problem today was where to walk, the path I intended to take became instantly impossible when I heard, just as I was leaving the village, the sound of the hunt dogs, coming from the direction I had intended to walk in. A meeting with men with guns assured me that that was the direction they were intending to hunt in so I had to rapidly rethink my walk. This also reduced the length of my walk but at least I have walked.

still roamin

It's been a while since I've written anything so it looks like I have 'dun roamin' but, not true, or not completely.
I was in England for 10 days at the end of July but I don't think that counts, at the moment I am preparing my next few excursions. Yesterday I went to Sarria to get a new credencial for the Camino. I have inspired a friend who is about to start next Monday, in October I will meet up with her to do the last few days to Santiago and then on to Muxia and Finisterra whilst I was in Sarria i decided to walk to Samos and back, I didn't do that path when i walked in March and I wanted to see what it is like and visit the Monastery. I chose the first day it has rained in months, and how it rained! it is also very difficult to follow the camino backwards, the signs aren't in the right places! Anyway I reckoned I was OK for quite a while but then I came to a fork, I opted for one which seemed likely to be right but it was up a very exposed hill, I got thoroughly soaked and as I saw no signs for quite a while, and no pilgrims coming the other way I decided to turn round and try the other one. It must have been the right route because the other one wasn't so I gave up, went back to my car and ate my picnic. I didn't think thunderstorms last very long but that one did and when I drove back through Monforte the skies just opened even more, real stair rods.
When I got home and had a proper look at the map I discovered I was on the wrong path entirely, i was on the same path I took in march, which just shows how much I remember! If I had continued I wouldn't have got to Samos but to Triacastela, so just as well I turned round.
My next trip is not very exciting but it should be pleasant, I am going to Bavaria for a week at the beginning of October, then as soon as I get back it will be the Camino again.

My major plan is for April next year, I plan a trip to Japan, China and then the Trans Siberian railway to Moscow and St Petersburg. I am really enjoying planning that