The rain had dissipated through the night leaving a very sunny and hot morning. Pete and I went to the electronic district at Akihabara, whilst Ellina went off to a fashion museum – I don’t have a sense of fashion so it would be wasted on me.
Every gadget you could want, old or new was for sale. It was also a bit nerdy, but not the cool nerdy. Despite the plethora of high tech on offer, I came away with a water bottle.
From there we went to Shibuya, and took part in the infamous crossing. A huge crowd, enough people to fill a football stadium waited for the pedestrian crossing lights to go green.
Once it did, everyone en masse moved as one, people crisscrossed the junction in ordered chaos. From there we had lunch at another Izakaya style restaurant – like yesterday’s.
We then met up with Ellina to make our way to Azabudai for the Teamlab Borderless exhibition. An immersive digital art show.
I was very impressed. An amazing experience. Rooms had light shows, pictures and patterns projected on the walls and floors. One room looked like you were within a waterfall.
A travelling musical band of animals moved around the corridors. I followed them to a room where they danced and partied.
A room had baubles with lights inside, dangling from the ceiling. It felt like you were amongst the stars. One had walls of mist, with more animations projected on it.
That is only half of the experience, don’t want to spoil it all!
From there we had a drink then headed back to Chuo area for dinner. On the way back to the hotel we called into 7Eleven for a couple of cans of beer and had them in the hotel foyer.
Early one tonight, as tomorrow it’s a day trip to Mt. Fuji.
After a solid night sleep we were out the door on the tube to Roppongi, grabbing some breakfast before visiting the Mori Art Museum.
Situated in the 53rd floor of the Roppongi Hills Tower. It hosted an exhibition on computer generated digital art. Over multiple rooms there were 3D printed sculptures, animated displays and digital stills.
We spent a hour admiring the exhibition, then called into the cafe for a drink. We got window seats looking over the Tokyo skyline.
We hit the tube to Shinjuku region, aiming for Omoide Yokocho. Here there are traditional Japanese eateries along a narrow alley. Each place could hold no more than 10 people side by side, at the bar where they served the food.
The one we picked served grilled skewered meats and veg. A cozy little restaurant with friendly staff. After a couple of plates and drinks we went on the hunt for Godzilla.
We stepped outside into the alley, and into the rain. Luckily I had my brolly. At a brisk walk, we went in search of the giant monster, as the downpour worsened.
With soggy feet, we found Godzilla, peering over TOHO Cinemas. Back on the tube, we got to Shimo-Kitazawa. An area that I’ve been reliable informed is “hip and trendy”.
Known for ‘Thrift Stores’ and bars. I had only come out in a T-shirt today, and feeling a little chilly in the rain, I found a hoodie, with the Colorado Rock Mountains on the front.
For some respite from the dreary weather, we had a drink at one of the many bars. Although to use the toilet, I had to go back out into the rain and down an adjacent side street!
Back on the tube, we headed back to the Chuo district on search for our evening meal. We got there just before 2100h, and everywhere weren’t taking new orders past then.
It was a case of grabbing food from a ‘Seven Eleven’ – a convenience store chain. With an armful of food that cost a couple of quid, we returned to the hotel and ate our spoils in the lobby.
My alarm sounded at 0500h but I was awake before then. I spent Friday night at a friend’s in London Kings Cross. The noise of the city, cars zooming around, drunk revellers singing and a foxes yelling them to keep it down, left me with little sleep.
The tube to Heathrow went smoothly, and check in just as easy, before I knew it I was boarding my flight for my next adventure.
What followed was a 13 hour flight in cattle class. I had downloaded the recent BBC series: Pilgrimage, Road Through the Alps. That killed 3 hours – still 10 remaining.
I interchanged between reading my book ‘Wild’ by Cheryl Strayed and trying to sleep. Over Beijing, I was treated to a thunderstorm display. I was mesmerised watching the fork lightning, streak through the clouds far below. Other than that, it was pretty much what you’d expect being stuck on a plane for 13 hours.
The sun rose once we entered Japanese airspace. The plane flew around Mt. Fuji on its approach, the snow capped mountain posed for photos. The size of Tokyo is immense. I knew it is the most densely populated city in the world, but seeing it from the air, was something else.
Just before 7 we landed and worked our way through immigration, then took the tube to the Chuo district where our hotel is.
Straight away I spotted a quirk, everything sings or plays a tune. Getting cash out of the ATM: it plays a happy tune. A minute before the train pulls up to the platform: a cheerful melody is played.
We dumped our bags at the hotel then went for an explore. First stop the Imperial Palace Gardens.
Trees and flowers were decoratively planted with the clean and ordered precision, that Japan is known for.
From there we headed back towards our hotel grabbing some food along the way. Check-in was 1500h. I slumped on my bed and fell asleep instantly – I had been up way over 24hrs.
A couple of hours kip and a shower later I was back out. Headed to the Sky Room. A bar offering views over Tokyo. The vast city, illuminated in all its glory, as our backdrop.
We then stopped in the Asakusa district and browsed through the Don Quixote Store. The placed sold everything, and it was an assault on the senses!
We then had a look around the Senso-Ji temple. A red building underneath flared tiled eaves and a grand curved roof, a typical example of the Irimoya-Zukuri style which Japan is known for.
The grounds are dotted with little shrines and rows of lanterns that contrasted well with the bright red temple.
From there we found a back street restaurant where I had a beer and tried Sashimi for the first time. Not what I expected but it didn’t deter me.
Firstly, I’ve done a little video of my recent one day walk with the British Pilgrimage Trust. Not quite on the scale of my Norte one, but it will kill 6 mins of your time. It can be found here:
With completing my video and doing a fair bit of walking in the current spring sunshine we’re experiencing in the UK, I’m starting to miss the Spanish Sun, long days on The Way, a cold glass of ‘Kas Limón’, Tortilla y Potata and the snore filled ambiance of the Albergues – well maybe not the last one! But I can hear the Camino calling me and I feel my restlessness urging me back on Pilgrimage.
This has been compounded by having major FOMO (Fear of Missing Out), hearing that one of my fellow peregrinas from the Francés, has just finished the Portugués, resulting in our Camino Whatsapp group buzzing with chatter and pictures of her journey.
There is only one way to abate this feeling, and that is to plan my next one, or at the very least book some leave. Which is what I’ve done – two weeks in September secured. Now it’s a question of which one do I pick. I’ve a had a few comments from my blogs and YouTube video, to try the ‘San Salvador’; which is from Leon to Oviedo. I’ve been told it is a beautiful one to walk and only 5 days.
But that feels a little too short, it would be good to tack that onto the ‘Primitivo’ though. The Inglés is another on the list, but again it’s only a 5 day-er. To solve this quandary, I stood in front my Camino wall map in my lounge, to find some contenders. After narrowly missing varicose veins standing too long, I found one. Roughly two weeks and it even finishes at Santiago!
Camino Sanabrés
Granja de Moreruela to Santiago de Compostela. This route spurs off the Via de la Plata, providing an alternative path to the Galician Capital, avoiding the busier Francés; which the Plata joins at Astorga. It’s less travelled than the popular ones, and favoured by those walking the Plata wishing to stay clear of the crowds.
The stages aren’t too long with 4 over 30km with the longest at 36km – a walk in the park for a Norte veteran! Like the Norte I’m going into this one blind, without doing any research to enjoy the wonder as the route unfolds.
Sanbrés: Light brown path from bottom right to top left
Now I have something on the horizon, the sound of the soft rhythmic crunch of footsteps urging me towards the Camino has been quietened – for now.
This was my first guided pilgrimage with the British Pilgrimage Trust. A charity that has a goal of revitalising the ancient British pilgrim routes.
My mum joined me on this walk and we met everyone at the train station, where we caught lifts from fellow pilgrims to St. Mary’s at West Stow. A quaint little church in a tiny village.
St. Mary’s West Stow
Once everyone arrived, there was tea and biscuits, giving chance to mingle and get to know each other. The guide for the BPT was Dawn.
In the chancel we all formed a circle, where Dawn explained what to expect for the day, everyone introduced themselves and had a brief history on King Edmund.
The story goes; he was captured by Vikings during a battle and then tied to a tree. The Vikings offered his freedom, if he denounced his faith; which he wouldn’t. They then filled him with arrows, but he remained steadfast to his belief.
The Vikings then beheaded him. Eventually King Edmund’s body was found by his knights, with his head missing. A wolf could be heard, beckoning the men to Edmund’s head, where the wolf had been protecting it.
They returned his head to his body, where it miraculously reattached itself. The knights brought him to where Bury St Edmunds now sits. A small chapel was built for him. Shortly afterwards miracles kept occurring for those who visited his remains, thus granting him sainthood.
Bury became a destination for pilgrims throughout the Middle Ages; and King Edmund was the patron saint of England before it was George!
We set out from St. Mary’s into the spring sunshine, cutting across the grounds of the private ‘Culford School’, pausing at a bridge over Culford Beck. The iron bridge is an early example of the change in metal work construction. Older iron bridges were built by bolting on panels and struts.
Dawn gave us a lesson on Alder trees, which are common in the area along water sources. In folklore they are a bad omen, the leafless tree, that has a dark sap gives the appearance of bleeding. Warriors in the past used to coat their shields in the sap. Theory being, their shields would bleed instead of them!
We continued on to a small church on the school grounds, that had a stamp for pilgrim passports – I left mine at my digs thinking there wouldn’t be any, having secured the cathedral stamp the day before; I grabbed a donation envelope and stamped that!
The guide talked to us about the mythology behind wolves. They are regarded as the symbol of the wild but also a noble protective creature, which is why they are featured in King Edmund’s legend.
Selfie with the talking wolf
We soon joined the river Lark where we followed the banks into Fornham; here we stopped for lunch on the grounds of Fornham All Saints. We chatted amongst ourselves, sharing our experiences from other pilgrimages.
By the time we set off, the clouds came in and the temperature dropped. The route crosses the local golf course with parakeets squawking from the trees. This was the last bit of “wild space” before entering Bury, we walked in silence to absorb our last taste of nature before civilisation.
A couple of kilometres of urban sprawl and we were on the grounds of the old abbey, where the cathedral now stands. We circled the building, some going barefoot as we passed through the doors, concluding the pilgrimage.
One of the pilgrims, works within the cathedral and she gave us a private tour about the history and pilgrim symbolism within the architecture, finishing up with a cup of tea.
St. Edmundsbury Cathedral Central Tower
We returned to our accommodation to change from our walking gear and headed into to town for some food.
The following day, we visited Ely to get the stamp from the cathedral, and what a treat that was! The building is amazing!
It dominated the skyline on approach, intricately carved mason work with a beautiful central dome tower. Walking through the nave took my breath, I was in awe. It’s now my favourite UK cathedral!
I could have spent all day admiring it, but we had to get back home.
The New Year has been and gone, the frigid weather is on it’s way out, and I’m itching to get on another thru hike or pilgrimage. I had some leave to use up before I lose it at the end of the financial year. Looking at the rota I managed to add on two days to a three day weekend coming up at the end of March.
Having five days off, I didn’t want this to go to waste, and pondering what to do, the Camino was listening. An email dropped into my inbox. A couple of years ago I signed up to a charity, the “British Pilgrimage Trust”. An organisation that has an aim to restore and popularise the pilgrimages within the UK – You will be surprised how many there are!
If you followed my Two Saints Way pilgrimage, that was one of them. Well, this email advertised up and coming events and guided pilgrimages. On the day I had just booked off, they are holding a one day pilgrimage; the ‘Wolf and Water Pilgrimage’.
A short 8 mile trail from St. Mary’s Church in West Stow to Bury St. Edmunds Cathedral. St. Edmund’s legend involves Danes, beheadings and a speaking wolf! As this is a guided pilgrimage, I will be immersed in the history and folklore of the area – a little different to my usual adventures!
I’ve secured accommodation that is actually on the cathedral grounds, so I won’t have far to rest my legs after completing this walk! I’ll do a blog and produce a short video of this one day adventure.
It has been a manic couple of months since finishing the Camino del Norte and over the last week I have finally found time to put together a video of this amazing journey. In the past I have thrown together a few clips, slapped some music on and posted it to the interweb.
However this time, I’ve taken it up a notch, I’ve done a reflective narration for this epic journey that took me along the northern Spanish coast and meeting the most amazing people that made this pilgrimage special. (I know before you say it, I’ve butchered some of the pronunciations of the Spanish places!)
It’s a longer format than my usual videos at 1.5 hours, but I hope you will not be deterred and find it entertaining. I’ve tried to encapsulate my thoughts and experiences as well as briefly describing each day. If it gives you an insight to the journey or sways you to undertake a Camino, I’ll be over the moon!
This time 10 years ago I spent a week in Valkenburg and Brussels, enjoying the Glühwein at the Christmas markets for my mum’s 60th. Family and friends embarked on planes, trains and automobiles, to celebrate the milestone and the festive time of the year.
Here I am, a decade on returning to this magical town with the same crowd and more. Having experienced Leiden last year, the plan is Valkenburg and this picturesque town, 30 min from Amsterdam.
It was an early start catching the 0555h plane from Manchester to Schiphol, then a 3 hour train to Valkenburg. Half the group missed the connection on the home stretch at Maastricht, but I stayed behind to ensure everyone got to the destination.
After lunch at the station cafe and checking into the hotel, I went for an explore. I couldn’t remember this many restaurants last time I was here! I managed to find the bar we made our regular all those years ago – I had to stop for a drink.
The rest of the gang joined for food and a few drinks. By 10pm we were flagging having been up since 1am; time to call it a night.
Valkenburg’s Christmas market is within a cave system of a sandstone mine. At 11am we were through the doors. Stalls upon stalls filled every corner, trees and decorations transformed the place into a festive grotto.
There were sweet treats, waffles, Christmas decorations, festive jumpers and Gluhwein for sale. After a couple glasses and every tunnel explored we headed to a bar, before attending the outdoor market for food.
One more drink in the warmth of a nearby bar called the end of the day.
Back on the trains the following day to Leiden. Having briefly visited this city last year, I wanted to spend longer at this pretty town. It is like Amsterdam but without the tourists.
We arrived early afternoon meeting up with four new party members, who are joining us for the remainder of the trip. We grabbed some food, checked into our hotel then had a little explore and a couple of drinks.
The Christmas markets here don’t open until Saturday however a short train trip south to The Hague and there are plenty there.
After grabbing breakfast at a quaint little cafe by the canal side, ‘Roos’. We took the train to The Hague.
I expected the city to be all modern high rise office buildings, but I was wrong. Although at the train station there some, once you get to the centre, you are amongst the characterful Dutch buildings.
The markets are within the Voorhout Park, next to the Ridderzaal which is part of the Binnenhof complex, the political centre of country.
The cabins formed the perimeter and seating areas in the middle. Lots of food stalls – I spotted empanadas and churros; I had to partake to have a taste of Spain and the Camino!
The temperature was cold and after a couple of hours we sought some warmth of a bar. On the way we passed the royal palace, before ducking into a tiny jazz bar.
Once warmed up and a couple drinks down us we returned to Leiden for food and evening drinks.
Ridderzaal Royal Palace
After breakfast in Leiden we headed to Amsterdam. While the group did the boat tour, I took the opportunity to visit the NEMO science museum. It gave a time line of the history of science and the great discoveries.
Each floor had a specific topic from engineering to the human body – I particularly liked the astronomy floor. Everything was interactive, bringing out my inner child!
From there I joined the rest of the party at the Christmas markets situated near the Rijskmuseum. It is smaller than The Hague one, and very crowded. This day was definitely the coldest, and we soon moved on back to the train station.
We finished the last evening on this adventure in Leiden.
NEMO Science Museum I’ve been digitalised
With evening flights, it allowed us to spend the most of the day in Leiden, exploring the Christmas market and town.
The market was very small, along a pretty street outside the Hooglandse church, with mostly food stalls – I had another empanada! There was a carol service in the church and some craft stalls.
I had wanted to look inside the building the last time I was here, and over this visit. Huge ceilings with leaded windows and white stone pillars reached up to the top; quite impressive.
It started to rain at this point prompting us to dive into a bar for warmth and a drink, after which we made our way to catch the train to the airport.
A very eventful packed week, and a great time had by all.
Despite having a room to myself and the chance to stay in bed, I was still on the Camino clock and up at 7am.
I had a shower, a luxury to have first thing in the morning. It seems an age ago since I was able to start the day with one – it was bliss!
Once cleaned I went to the cathedral while it was quiet to have my customary visit to St. James’ tomb and tap his statue on the shoulder, before my usual walk around while it was quiet.
For Mary Harris and Peter Critchlow
Then it was time for breakfast, I picked one of my favourite deysayuno spots, ‘Airas Nunes’, to meet the gang. Comfy chairs, classical music, very civilised for scruffy pilgrims.
I then gave a short tour of the city to my friends, showing the highlights of the cathedral, the first pilgrim and the two Marias. John and Elliot went to the midday pilgrims mass, while Judyta and I waited in the Praza Obradoiro, for Samual and Judith to arrive.
Olivier joined us briefly before he had to catch his bus to Porto. Just before the heavens opened up, they arrived with another familiar face, Sophie from Austria; We had met in Guemes – The Camino has the habit of reuniting pilgrims.
Drinks were in order! John and Elliot joined us briefly after mass, before they had to catch a bus to the airport. Everyone else had to check in to their accommodation, so I took the chance to do a little souvenir shopping and have a drink, before joining everyone for the evening pilgrims mass.
Luck was with us again, the Botafumeiro swung! Three out four visits I have seen it in action! Our bellies were rumbling, prompting us to get food.
Over dinner, we chatted about our adventures on the pilgrimage, showing pictures of the highlights. A great end to another amazing journey.
As I would need an early bus, I said my goodbyes to my friends, I hope to see them again – you never know, the Camino works in mysterious ways.
It had to be the quickest 20km I had done, the last day was over in a blink of an eye. The best thing is, we beat the rain!
We had to be out of the albergue by 0800h, and due to some early risers, we were out the door by 0715h.
The route is initially through woodlands and my head torch went into low battery mode. But having done this section three times now, I was pretty much in autopilot.
We all decided to start this morning walking alone, it is always a difficult day getting into Santiago. At ‘Bar 15km’ we gathered for breakfast, then made our ascent up to the airport.
Walking through the familiar eucalyptus woods, past the runway and down into San Paio, calling into the bar for a drink – it wasn’t even 1000h, but it is Santiago day after all!
We moved on getting to the 10km marker, the first time I’ve seen it in day light. I’ve always started from Lavacolla on my last day.
The Hill that I remember was merely a mound for these Basque Country legs, and the long stretch to Monte do Gozo flew by. I made a point of going to the pilgrim statues that overlook the city – I had missed them on my previous Caminos.
The last 5km was littered with tourigrinos, getting in the way. The now familiar streets zoomed by, and the spires of the cathedral came into view. The bagpipes were playing as we passed under the arch into the square.
Even on my fourth visit, the cathedral still had me in awe. I shuck my travelling companions hands and gazed at the cathedral. Once getting our compostelas and a few celebratory drinks, we booked into our respective digs.
As is the Camino we bumped into old faces, and we arranged to have dinner together. Jenny from Colombia, Hugo from Mexico, Ricardo from Spain, Karina from the states, Elliot, John, Judyta and I.
Afterwords we went to a local bar for drinks and a game of pool. A great end to the day.
Stu's Camino 