Travels Past & Future

10/05/2026 - Alison  Padron to Milladoiro. Today we are walking from Padron to Milladoiro. It looks like I get to write about the days that Kim and Julie don’t walk. This is our second last day of walking so we all need to be fit for tomorrow to walk into Santiago De Compostela.  With our Mother’s Day phone calls we were all in good spirits. Thanks for making our day special. We gathered for our Mother’s Day photo all dressed in pink. Yes Megan we all wore pink again. Louise and I were off and running.  One thing that differs on the Portuguese to the St James is that the churches are not open. They are either locked or open with a locked grille. You can see in but cannot walk in. However, yesterday there was one small chapel open that I had to sing in.  Hang on stop rewind most churches were locked. We walked up to a church at the top of the steps just after we stopped for tea and cake, yes more cake.  Anyway last night the chapel in our accommodation, a bishops...

Saturday 09/05/2026 - Caldas de Reis to Padron Today we had a late start. We needed to catch a taxi back to the Camino trail and there was a severe weather warning from 2.00pm.  Our travel guide advised us not to walk if the was a weather warning, so we decided to walk the last 9 to 10km to get there before the thunderstorm hit.  Kim decided to catch a taxi to the next hotel, so Alison,  Julie and I were dropped off at Magarinos, while Kim continued on. Our walk took us past farmland, along roads and through vineyards. We took photos of the roses for Kim  as she usually stopped to smell the roses. We passed a robo-lawn mower, like a robovac but for the lawns. I could see Axel chasing it around, barking at it, while the cats ignored it. Julie - When we began the day I was immediately picked as an Australian because of my hat. After turning down an offer to trade my bushman hat for a Camino hat we began our walk. As well as vineyards and farmland we enjoyed walking...

Friday, May 8th, 2026  Another 22km day ahead of us. We set out from the Parador under cloudy skies—heaven help us when we have to go back to a Best Western motel. Crossing the Lérez River called for the mandatory selfie, and dare I say, I’m finally getting the hang of it. Today brought a few hills, but with the railway line never far away, I kept humming (okay,  singing to myself) what are the new lyrics: “I’m a-walkin’ along the railroad…” We took a break on some perfectly placed rocks, finishing the cakes we’d stashed from breakfast. Julie sighed, “I told Paul I’d come back thinner—but that’s not happening if we keep eating cake.” At our next stop for tea and yet more pastries, rain threatened overhead. Then someone nearby ordered French fries (I say French Fries because they don't know what chips are) and the smell broke us completely. We ordered some too. The rain finally arrived, so we ducked under cover, finished lunch, and pulled on our ponchos. Shortly after, Kim ...

6 May 2026 - Vigo to Redondela Kim Waking up in NH Collection Hotel in Vigo seemed way too fast as we arrived late last night. The day started with breakfast as usual. We advised Julie that she could eat cake and still loose weight while walking the Camino. So, for breakfast she had a plate of churros, almond cake and pastries. The rest of us had either eggs or cereal. We took cake and pastries for morning tea. The first part of our walk was through the streets of Vigo, it took about an hour to reach the outskirts of the city. Then the climb through the back streets started, up, up and up. Someone had opened up their garage and sold drinks, fruits and Louise and Alison bought a badge for their hats and we got a stamp. We were still climbing up while admiring the view of Vigo. We found a spot on the side of the road on a narrow corner and had morning tea (obviously cake for all of us). We continued on the back streets (still up) until we reached the top. Once at the top it was a pleasan...

7/5/2026 Alison We are leaving behind Redondela and hiking to Pontevedra. Our travel is lighter today. Not in kilometres or in elevation just in numbers. Julie’s blisters are all over her feet, walking would burst them all and that would not be fun. Kim on the other hand has the flu and the hills would be unbearable. She has a good reason to get better before we get back. Kim said,”We will stay and rest until 10am then off to the Paradores.” I think Kim just likes the Luxury of the Paradores’.  So off Louise and I went from our accommodation last night which was an old manour house originally built by the Franciscan monks. They were forced to leave the country in the early 20th century and the house and land went into disrepair. It has now been fully restored to its original condition and looks fantastic. Off we went down the driveway (400 metres) around the corner under the train line past the petrol station, across the highway through the heavy machinery yard and back onto the...

Tuesday 5th May Julie  We ate early and reluctantly left the comforts of the Paradores. It was a 750 metre walk just to get out onto the road to join the Camino. We began our walk around the bay in the rain with our ponchos on. The walk was flat with stones, dirt and some boardwalks. We stopped for morning tea at about 10.30 and the Paradores was so huge that we could still see it. We passed through villages, had an ice-cream at a skate cafe, detoured onto the beach at one point and tackled some steep stairs and hills. Lunch was in the shade in a secluded bay and by that stage the rain had stopped again and the ponchos were off. Then… walking again for a couple of hours.🤨We caught a cafe just before it closed for siesta for a quick cup of tea. Sometimes that’s enough to keep you going for another hour. We reached the outskirts of Vigo and decided to eat as we knew that if we didn’t then we would probably not go out again. We had walked 22 km by this stage and Kim was exhausted. Sh...

Monday, 4th May 2026 – Rest Day We kicked off the day with a late breakfast and a stunning view from our window. The Parador overlooked the water, which glittered in the morning sun—just gorgeous. But by the time we were ready to head into town, the rain had started. So instead, we explored the Parador itself. Honestly, it felt like wandering through a museum—every corner filled with art, tapestries, and ornately carved tables. There were little lounge areas everywhere, perfect for sitting, reading, or just doing nothing. After a while, we checked the weather again and set off along the walkway around the old fort wall. Naturally, we got a little sidetracked along the way. The fortress is preserved in spectacular condition. A full three kilometers of defensive walls encircle the peninsula, and you can walk along most of them . We followed the Paseo de Monte Boi—a looped walk that offers breathtaking 360-degree views of the bay, the Cíes Islands, and the wild Atlantic beyond . Also, on...