Tag Archives: Spain

Spain

A few days in Zaragoza Spain

We spent a few days exploring Zaragoza, which is a beautiful city located in the northeastern part of Spain. The city has a rich history and was founded at the end of the 1st century. There are Roman ruins and reminders of its rich history throughout the city.

We walked through parts of the old section of the city admiring the old architecture and beautiful plazas. 

The bullring in Zaragoza which is called MIsericordia
Central Market in Zaragoza
Tram system with view of central Market in distance

We walked through the shops and restaurants towards the main plaza enjoying the sites and sounds. There was lots of things to see and the shops were full of interesting stuff. 

Eventually we reached the Plaza de la Seo which is truly stunning and has unique features.  The ground s of the plaza were covered in beautiful marble tiles.

There was the stunning Cathedral at one section of the plaza which gave the plaza a very grandiose feel.

We explored the plaza de la Seo and were amazed at all the features and unique statues and items in the plaza.

Shelley and Ray with waterfall feature in the main plaza of Zaragoza, Spain

We bought a ticket to go up the tower of the Cathedral of Zaragoza to get views of the city.  The tower was built on the site of the ancient Roman forum of Augustus and of the main mosque. The new tower, which was designed in Rome in 1683 by Juan Bautista Contini in the Baroque style, was started in 1686 and finished in 1704 with the placement of the spire. There are elements of the minaret that form part of the current tower. 

There was an elevator that took us up to the first level of the tower. From there we took stairs which made its way up to the very top of the tower.

When we reached the top the views were amazing. We could see entire city from the tower.

View of the Roman bridge and Cathedral of Zaragoza from the tower of Zaragoza
View from the tower of Zaragoza

The city of Zaragoza surprised us with its dynamic and vibrant city centre. There were lots of unique things to see, including Roman ruins, historic sites and architecture.

“La vida es un viaje, disfruta de las aventuras en el camino”

Spain

Els Arcs de Castell de Castells

We went exploring the area of the Arcs de Castell in the mountains approximately an hour or so from Alicante. The views along the road through the mountains were spectacular.

A view of some of the mountains along the way.

We came to a lookout area with a rest stop, so decided to take a break and enjoy the views.

Shelley enjoying the lookout in the mountains
The lookout at the rest stop.

There was even a small zip line and of course Ray could not resist trying it out.

Ray on the small zip line

After we enjoyed our stop we continued on to our destination. We arrived at the road that leads to the Arc de Castell. We began our hike up the road toward the arcs.

As we walked along the road it was so peaceful and quiet. We came along a very traditional style Spanish vila along the trail.

We walked approximately 8 kilometers and then started climbing up the mountain side. The road turned into a trail and then eventually into a small path. As we went it became steeper and more difficult.

Eventually we arrived at an area that was quite steep and looked a little unstable. At this point we decided to turn around and head back down the mountain. 

The Arcs de Castell

We worked our way back down and enjoyed the views along the way.  It was so quiet and there were no people around. We did not need to wear a mask and it almost felt like the pandemic was none existent. It was a great way to spend the day. 

“Disfruta cada momento”

Camino de Santiago, Spain

Leaving Lugo on the camino towards Santiago de compostela

We had rested up in Lugo and Shelley’s  knee was feeling better. We headed out early and restarted our journey along the camino. It was a beautiful morning and one of the first sites we came to was the Roman bridge at the outskirts of Lugo.  At the foot of the bridge was a statue of a Roman standing guard.

Statue of Roman guarding the Roman bridge

Roman bridge at the outskirts of Lugo

We took our time and enjoyed a slow pace and scenery as we progressed.

After a while Shelley’s knee began to hurt.   We stopped along the way a few times but her knee continued to get worse.  We walked along the camino for approximately 7 kms when Shelley’s knee was inflamed and very painful. We were afraid that it could cause some permanent damage to her knee. We decided that I should continue the camino alone and that she would take at taxi the remaining way to Santiago. There was a camino marker where we stopped so Shelley placed her stone on the marker. We contacted a taxi and she went ahead via taxi to Santiago de Compostela.

It was a sad time for us but we knew that it was the right choice. At this point I began the remainder of the camino solo.  I continued along the camino until I reached a small shrine along the side of the trail. It was quite peaceful and a perfect spot for me to stop and enjoy a snack.

I continued along the camino which was ascending over time, I came to some beautiful views and trails in that area of the camino..

I even met some of the local animals along the camino.

I walked another 20 some kilometres before stopping for the night. It was a day of mixed emotions I was sad not having Shelley with me on this section of the camino. I knew it was only 70 kilometres or so to go and I was excited to finish the last few days to arrive in Santiago.

¨Buen camino¨

Camino de Santiago, Spain

Highlights of some of the Camino De Santiago -Primitivo

The different days along the Camino De Santiago are unique and yet very similar in some aspects. Although each day brings new vistas and experiences they also bring similarities and rituals. Each morning we would awake early and get ready for the day.  There was a ritual of cleaning up, stretches and applying our anti blister balm on our feet before starting the days camino.  We would start out without breakfast or coffee. Walking the camino until we would find a place to stop for breakfast and coffee. On other days we would take our coffee and snack to go.

snacks and coffee on the go.

We carried a small amount of food in case of long gaps between places. On some days it was not until noon or even later before we came to our first cafe or food spot. 

From the town of Salas we continued to head upwards higher into the mountains of northern Spain.  It seemed at times that we were always ascending or descending. 

Shelley along one of the many climbs towards the windmill along the Camino Primitivo

At this point Shelley had twisted her knee and it was causing her difficulty and pain. We decided to send out packs ahead to lessen the weight on her knee. We would take more breaks along the way. This was also a chance to stop and enjoy the amazing views. 

Going up towards the windmills on the Primitivo
The Dam at the reservoir of Embalse de Salime on the Camino Primitivo.

This dam was amazing to see and is a designated world heritage site.

Ray along the ridge area of the camino de Primitivo
The view along the primitivo in the upper section of the mountains.

The further along we went unfortunately the worse Shelley´s knee became until we decided that we would stop at Lugo and take a few extra days to recuperate and see if her knee would get better. 

The primitivo is an amazing route with spectacular views. Here are just some of the vistas we saw along our way to Lugo from Salas. It was an amazing section of the primitivo but not for the faint of heart as the route is very taxing and difficult with steep and long ascends through the mountains. 

We arrived at Lugo and we were grateful for the few days of rest before continuing on the camino. The city of Lugo is beautiful and we enjoyed being a tourist in the city for a while.. But that is for another post.

“Disfruta de cada momento y experiencias de la vida”

Camino de Santiago, Spain

The start of the Camino Primitivo

We started our camino de Santiago by taking a train from Alicante to the town of Oviedo in Asturias. We stayed the night in Oviedo before starting our camino the next morning.

The cathedral of St. Saviour  in Oviedo which is the starting point of the Camino Primitivo

Oviedo is the starting point for the Camino Primitivo and was the starting point of Alfonso II the Chaste King of Asturias who took this route in the 9th century to see the recently discovered tomb of St James the Apostle. 

We began the camino in the pouring rain from Oviedo. Our spirits were high with excitement and determination.

We set out at 7:30 in the morning from the Cathedral. We walked for a short while and before long we were in the countryside.

Park on the edge of Oviedo
At the outskirts of Oviedo,

There was lush greenery everywhere and the camino soon began to narrow into a trail. 

We walked through the rain into some steep declines and inclines along the rail. Some of the trail was very rough and required that we walk slowly and carefully to avoid slipping or falling. 

Part of the trail along camino Primitivo between Oviedo and Grado.

Although it was raining the entire day, along our journey we came across some beautiful small communities, sites and views. 

Our first day was a challenge, we walked the entire day in the rain.

Rain water flowing down the road like a small river.

Although it was difficult at times, our enthusiasm and spirits remained high. 

Shelley and Ray on the Camino Primitivo between Oviedo and Grado

We walked around 28 kilometers and finished our day in a town called Grado. We were tired but content for completing day one of our camino.

We settled into our room and although we had ponchos and rain jackets we were partly soaked. Our waterproof hiking boots had been exposed to rain, mud and water the entire time.  It turned out that the hiking boots were not quite waterproof. 

Feet wrinkled by walking in wet shoes

We cleaned up, changed into dry clothes and enjoyed a well deserved refreshment.

We enjoyed a well deserved refreshment and celebrated our achievement of day one.

¨Buen Camino¨