pubby
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fatboy
your looking a bit thin there fella, go get yaself a tuna n cheese pastie
your looking a bit thin there fella, go get yaself a tuna n cheese pastie
The School Run (Santiago de Compostella)
- Thread starter steve1
- Start date
steve1
Registered user
confession
After escaping from the gypo and the wizard - dog i mooch around the cathedral and do the usual tourist stuff.
Looking for something to take back for the kids.
You know sandals for the girl / AK47 or machete for the boy.
Whilst in the cathedral it struck me that this was a working place of worship. Even though there were hundreds of tourists the catholic church was still going about its business.
It was particularly interesting to see how they do confession. The priest sits in a box and basically waits for someone to pop their head in and confess, this all takes place in full view of the public.
I had a go and was absolved from taking the piss out of the guards at my present camp-site- my soul is now safe.
I know it's wrong but i couldn't help taking a photo of the actual confession process. (i think she'd murdered her husband)
I'm gonna burn for that one!
After escaping from the gypo and the wizard - dog i mooch around the cathedral and do the usual tourist stuff.
Looking for something to take back for the kids.
You know sandals for the girl / AK47 or machete for the boy.
Whilst in the cathedral it struck me that this was a working place of worship. Even though there were hundreds of tourists the catholic church was still going about its business.
It was particularly interesting to see how they do confession. The priest sits in a box and basically waits for someone to pop their head in and confess, this all takes place in full view of the public.
I had a go and was absolved from taking the piss out of the guards at my present camp-site- my soul is now safe.
I know it's wrong but i couldn't help taking a photo of the actual confession process. (i think she'd murdered her husband)
I'm gonna burn for that one!
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steve1
Registered user
Heat
Feeling bad about taking pictures inside the cathedral i make my exit and nosey around the shops. I ve a couple of hours to kill before i meet the mrs so i spend it being a tourist and taking pics.
Weird sort of heat in Santiago. According to the thermometer its not really that hot 24/25 but the humidity really gets to you.
Feeling bad about taking pictures inside the cathedral i make my exit and nosey around the shops. I ve a couple of hours to kill before i meet the mrs so i spend it being a tourist and taking pics.
Weird sort of heat in Santiago. According to the thermometer its not really that hot 24/25 but the humidity really gets to you.
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This is great!, I keep having to check for the latest episode!
If you haven't already, please consider a career in writing, you're a natural!
If you haven't already, please consider a career in writing, you're a natural!
steve1
Registered user
steve1
Registered user
Tossers toughest challenge
In this context research was not a euphemism for drink.
(At any other time it would have been but i've got a bike to ride)
I was interested to see what fellow tossers considered a challenge.
So far as i can remember the rules were simple.
Start at Paris, the bar not the place (That's a different challenge) and have a slurp in every bar untill you reach Dakar.
I thought i'd follow the street and simply count every bar till i found Dakar.
I had only gone about 300 yards and i was up to 15, surely this could not be right??
Thinking i had chosen the wrong direction i stopped counting and continued my wander. 10 mins later (and about another 20 bars) there it was, Dakar.
OMG have people really completed this challenge???
I walked on - convinced i'd read it wrong????
In this context research was not a euphemism for drink.
(At any other time it would have been but i've got a bike to ride)
I was interested to see what fellow tossers considered a challenge.
So far as i can remember the rules were simple.
Start at Paris, the bar not the place (That's a different challenge) and have a slurp in every bar untill you reach Dakar.
I thought i'd follow the street and simply count every bar till i found Dakar.
I had only gone about 300 yards and i was up to 15, surely this could not be right??
Thinking i had chosen the wrong direction i stopped counting and continued my wander. 10 mins later (and about another 20 bars) there it was, Dakar.
OMG have people really completed this challenge???
I walked on - convinced i'd read it wrong????
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steve1
Registered user
Realise i'm gonna be late for meeting the Mrs so leggit back to the bank to pick up the bike. Forget that i'm parked on a one way street and give the Spaniards a taste of their own medicine. They seem to disagree with my head-down aggressive driving style (opposite to the direction of travel). Make it out onto the main carriageway, this time with the flow of traffic, seems much more agreeable. Meet the Mrs at Uni, lock the bike up and off for food.
We do lunch just outside the main city centre and then go in search of portatiles. I spotted a place the other day when i lost the bike it was called San Luis (bit like currys)
I'm sure it was there yesterday i say. as we round each corner! I remember it was near a strange water fall thingy. Then as we're giving up i find it and the Mrs is able to buy her dream Spanish portatiles (don't know how we're gonna fit it on the bike with all the rest of the kit??)
We do lunch just outside the main city centre and then go in search of portatiles. I spotted a place the other day when i lost the bike it was called San Luis (bit like currys)
I'm sure it was there yesterday i say. as we round each corner! I remember it was near a strange water fall thingy. Then as we're giving up i find it and the Mrs is able to buy her dream Spanish portatiles (don't know how we're gonna fit it on the bike with all the rest of the kit??)
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steve1
Registered user
Making our way back to Uni we encounter numerous BMW 650's . SWMBO seems quite taken with them- i think she will be taking her test real soon.
Get the Mrs back to uni in time for her class- she can store the laptop i dont fancy leaving it in the tent.
Left the bike on the centre stand add a drop of oil before setting off back to camp.
Approaching checkpoint charlie and i'm blocked by a motorhome- no way through.
The guard gives me a wry smile (i think she realises she's stopped me)
Not to be outdone i shoot under the barrier as the motorhome pulls away.
I think i'm starting to get to her
Park the bike up and lock my gear in the panniers. The wind has picked up considerably and its beginning to spit with rain.
Text the family, put on a fleece and kagool and wander around the site. At the top end on a clear day you can see for miles, however today it's quite bracing stood on the point. No shelter whatsoever from the elements i wouldn't want to pitch a tent here!
Get the Mrs back to uni in time for her class- she can store the laptop i dont fancy leaving it in the tent.
Left the bike on the centre stand add a drop of oil before setting off back to camp.
Approaching checkpoint charlie and i'm blocked by a motorhome- no way through.
The guard gives me a wry smile (i think she realises she's stopped me)
Not to be outdone i shoot under the barrier as the motorhome pulls away.
I think i'm starting to get to her
Park the bike up and lock my gear in the panniers. The wind has picked up considerably and its beginning to spit with rain.
Text the family, put on a fleece and kagool and wander around the site. At the top end on a clear day you can see for miles, however today it's quite bracing stood on the point. No shelter whatsoever from the elements i wouldn't want to pitch a tent here!
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steve1
Registered user
Texting continues as i roam back towards the bar end of the campsite. It's getting dark but the light is still on. It attracts me like a moth from the darkness, I meander in with no real purpose and plonk myself at the bar. I feel my temperature rise intermediately now that i'm out of the weather, i take of my kagool and fleece and place it on the adjacent stool.
The barmaid says something in Spanish- way too fast for my English ears. Nevertheless experience has taught me the best response-
"Una cerveza grande por favour"
It does the trick and i'm pleasantly surprised to have a real pint served in a dimple pint pot!
The barmaid then goes to the other end of the bar and speaks to the only other customer. His accent betrays his dutch origin and his Spanish is worse than mine. I'm getting an austin powers vibe from him- everything is cool or groovy.
The pair switch between crap spanish and crap English- its better than whats on the tv. I sit and listen whilst pretending to watch tv.
He is telling her how much he likes Santiago but the weather is crap (changed my mind i will now refer to this guy as Poirot) He goes on to say that he wasn't expecting it to be so busy in Santiago.
"F*cking students" comes the reply from the barmaid. "They come here-learn Spanish- every summer is the same!"
She breaks off at this point and smiles at me ¿Eres estudiante?
"No No" i reply shaking my head in disgust.
Inside i'm pissing my pants.
Finish my pint, pay my bill and pull my fleece and kagool on and walk out into the darkness (i may be some time)
Not sure i'm gonna get any kip tonight. The rain is hammering sideways against the tent and the wind is blowing a gale.
I reassure myself that the tent wont actually blow away whilst i'm in it (i hope)
Close my eyes and pretend to sleep.
Up at 4 and dressed the tent is making a real flapping noise and i think something has come loose.
WTF is going on with this weather? Its like a winter storm at home???
Sure enough the two ropes at the back of the tent have pulled out their pegs. One of the tabs has ripped and i have to tie the rope on as best i can- all this in pitch darkness and sideways rain- I f*cking hate Santiago!
Back into the tent, soaked to the skin and freezing cold, take my wet gear off put two tshirts on and jump back into the sleeping bag. Lie there shivering and contemplate breaking into one of the log cabins at the bottom of the camp. 5 o clock arrives still no sleep, still freezing, then i have a brainwave.
Leggit to the shower block and stand under a hot shower for an hour- don't get any sleep but not cold anymore!
Decide that i'm not staying in this place anymore 6.30 still dark jump on the bike and head off for A coruna in the rain. It's gotta be better than this!
The barmaid says something in Spanish- way too fast for my English ears. Nevertheless experience has taught me the best response-
"Una cerveza grande por favour"
It does the trick and i'm pleasantly surprised to have a real pint served in a dimple pint pot!
The barmaid then goes to the other end of the bar and speaks to the only other customer. His accent betrays his dutch origin and his Spanish is worse than mine. I'm getting an austin powers vibe from him- everything is cool or groovy.
The pair switch between crap spanish and crap English- its better than whats on the tv. I sit and listen whilst pretending to watch tv.
He is telling her how much he likes Santiago but the weather is crap (changed my mind i will now refer to this guy as Poirot) He goes on to say that he wasn't expecting it to be so busy in Santiago.
"F*cking students" comes the reply from the barmaid. "They come here-learn Spanish- every summer is the same!"
She breaks off at this point and smiles at me ¿Eres estudiante?
"No No" i reply shaking my head in disgust.
Inside i'm pissing my pants.
Finish my pint, pay my bill and pull my fleece and kagool on and walk out into the darkness (i may be some time)
Not sure i'm gonna get any kip tonight. The rain is hammering sideways against the tent and the wind is blowing a gale.
I reassure myself that the tent wont actually blow away whilst i'm in it (i hope)
Close my eyes and pretend to sleep.
Up at 4 and dressed the tent is making a real flapping noise and i think something has come loose.
WTF is going on with this weather? Its like a winter storm at home???
Sure enough the two ropes at the back of the tent have pulled out their pegs. One of the tabs has ripped and i have to tie the rope on as best i can- all this in pitch darkness and sideways rain- I f*cking hate Santiago!
Back into the tent, soaked to the skin and freezing cold, take my wet gear off put two tshirts on and jump back into the sleeping bag. Lie there shivering and contemplate breaking into one of the log cabins at the bottom of the camp. 5 o clock arrives still no sleep, still freezing, then i have a brainwave.
Leggit to the shower block and stand under a hot shower for an hour- don't get any sleep but not cold anymore!
Decide that i'm not staying in this place anymore 6.30 still dark jump on the bike and head off for A coruna in the rain. It's gotta be better than this!
steve1
Registered user
As i hit the motorway, i'm thinking that this was not one of my better ideas.
A man could lose his bearings in this weather (especially wearing summer undercrackers)
There's no let up in the weather, if anything it seems to be getting worse. The motorway ends and becomes a straight road- i pull in at one of the numerous small villages at around 7:30. Its still gloomy and visibility is crap. The wind has dropped a little and i'm riding through low clouds of water vapour. Everything is wet and i'm freezing. i rummage through my panniers and put on everything i can. I even use a high vis vest to insulate my neck.
The picture looks out of focus- its not its water vapour!!
A man could lose his bearings in this weather (especially wearing summer undercrackers)
There's no let up in the weather, if anything it seems to be getting worse. The motorway ends and becomes a straight road- i pull in at one of the numerous small villages at around 7:30. Its still gloomy and visibility is crap. The wind has dropped a little and i'm riding through low clouds of water vapour. Everything is wet and i'm freezing. i rummage through my panniers and put on everything i can. I even use a high vis vest to insulate my neck.
The picture looks out of focus- its not its water vapour!!
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muppix
Registered user
Steve, there's a link on this forum to a GPX file containing 19,000 campsites as custom waypoints. I've got this loaded onto my Zumo and have been doing over a week in northern Spain with a different site almost every night. They're so frequent that you just drive until you like the look of the area, pull up the custom POI menu and most of the time you see that there's 3 or 4 within half an hour to an hour. All of the ones I've found have been exactly where the waypoints have said they were too, no random roundabouts in the forest or bus stops.
Last one was at Mirador de Llavendes, just north of the Picos on the way to San Vincente. Nice lady behind the bar, no barrier and no noise. Come to think of it, no people either. Ping me if you want that GPX file and can't find it, I've converted it to normal waypoints so you can see it in Mapsource. Would attach it now but it's just over 2 meg raw and 500k zipped.
Oh, and keep writing. I'm enjoying it immensely.
Mup.
steve1
Registered user
Steve, there's a link on this forum to a GPX file containing 19,000 campsites as custom waypoints. I've got this loaded onto my Zumo and have been doing over a week in northern Spain with a different site almost every night. They're so frequent that you just drive until you like the look of the area, pull up the custom POI menu and most of the time you see that there's 3 or 4 within half an hour to an hour. All of the ones I've found have been exactly where the waypoints have said they were too, no random roundabouts in the forest or bus stops.
Last one was at Mirador de Llavendes, just north of the Picos on the way to San Vincente. Nice lady behind the bar, no barrier and no noise. Come to think of it, no people either. Ping me if you want that GPX file and can't find it, I've converted it to normal waypoints so you can see it in Mapsource. Would attach it now but it's just over 2 meg raw and 500k zipped.
Oh, and keep writing. I'm enjoying it immensely.
Mup.
Cheers Muppix think i know the thread been on my to do list for ages
steve1
Registered user
A Coruna and wet gear
Back on the road and in about half an hour i'm in A Coruna city centre. I park the bike on the pavement next to a bank (think i'm getting some sort of OCD).
Push my soaking clothes into the panniers. I'm left wearing wet tshirt- wet jeans no socks and sandals, i have a grey hoodie but its so wet its embarrassing.
Back on the road and in about half an hour i'm in A Coruna city centre. I park the bike on the pavement next to a bank (think i'm getting some sort of OCD).
Push my soaking clothes into the panniers. I'm left wearing wet tshirt- wet jeans no socks and sandals, i have a grey hoodie but its so wet its embarrassing.
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steve1
Registered user
steve1
Registered user
steve1
Registered user
I've dried out a bit and i'm feeling much warmer. i look around the shops for something for my daughter ( i think she will like some sandals but i'm not sure of her size) I text her mum and wait for a response. After an hour i've been in most shops (twice) and i'm on first name terms will all of the security guards. I decide to venture outdoors....Hurray the rain has stopped.
I wander through tall apartment blocks separated by multilevel carriageways, the city is awake and bustling.
A Coruna is a massive transport hub where sea meets rail, meets road. The whole city is dominated by freight and it is very busy. Apart from the spectacular transport system, A Coruna has no redeeming features. It is in fact a large pimple on the arsehole of Spain- but then again thats my opinion and i may have caught it on an off day.
I wander through tall apartment blocks separated by multilevel carriageways, the city is awake and bustling.
A Coruna is a massive transport hub where sea meets rail, meets road. The whole city is dominated by freight and it is very busy. Apart from the spectacular transport system, A Coruna has no redeeming features. It is in fact a large pimple on the arsehole of Spain- but then again thats my opinion and i may have caught it on an off day.
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Paulenglish
Guest
Great Story
Most interesting thread I've seen on this forum
Most interesting thread I've seen on this forum
steve1
Registered user
Cheers Muppix - should come in useful
steve1
Registered user
FitzRoy
Although it breaks my heart i decide to leave my beloved A Coruna behind and bog off to Finisterre.
It's one of those places like John O Groats that one just has to bag.
It seemed even more appropriate after travelling the Camino to Santiago (even if it was on a bike!) Finisterre represents the final destination for many pilgrims on St. James' way (Camino), it's about a 90-km walk from Santiago de Compostela.
Some nutters (pilgrims) even burn their clothes and/or boots at the end of their journey at Cape Finisterre.
I'm not exactly sure of the significance of this final leg of the pilgrimage. Maybe it's associated with Finisterre's status as the "edge of the world".
I set off from A Coruna at around 1ish and kid myself that the weather is with me. The illusion doesn't last for long. Over the first hill and it begins pouring again and i settle in for a steady jet wash all the way to the brink of Europe.
Finisterre materialises through the haze at around 2.30. It's stopped raining, the sun is beating down but there is a brisk wind.
I park the bike at one of the numerous photo points.
People are walking around in shorts and t-shirts but ive still got all my gear on-i'm freezing. I put a glove on each cylinder to try and dry them out and then go and bask in the sun - (still in full kit to try and dry it off) I lie on a large rock and watch the steam rise from my clothing.
After about half an hour i'm warm enough to wander but still not enough to remove any layers.
Although it breaks my heart i decide to leave my beloved A Coruna behind and bog off to Finisterre.
It's one of those places like John O Groats that one just has to bag.
It seemed even more appropriate after travelling the Camino to Santiago (even if it was on a bike!) Finisterre represents the final destination for many pilgrims on St. James' way (Camino), it's about a 90-km walk from Santiago de Compostela.
Some nutters (pilgrims) even burn their clothes and/or boots at the end of their journey at Cape Finisterre.
I'm not exactly sure of the significance of this final leg of the pilgrimage. Maybe it's associated with Finisterre's status as the "edge of the world".
I set off from A Coruna at around 1ish and kid myself that the weather is with me. The illusion doesn't last for long. Over the first hill and it begins pouring again and i settle in for a steady jet wash all the way to the brink of Europe.
Finisterre materialises through the haze at around 2.30. It's stopped raining, the sun is beating down but there is a brisk wind.
I park the bike at one of the numerous photo points.
People are walking around in shorts and t-shirts but ive still got all my gear on-i'm freezing. I put a glove on each cylinder to try and dry them out and then go and bask in the sun - (still in full kit to try and dry it off) I lie on a large rock and watch the steam rise from my clothing.
After about half an hour i'm warm enough to wander but still not enough to remove any layers.
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