Early heart starter outside Castrojeriz

Ah'm fair peckin an no just cos ah've no had a tab for 6 years

As Barbara Streisand would sing memories

 Blast from the past - 4 year ago at fromista

We´ve made it to the halfway house – and what a joy as we strolled into town at noon. Shops were open, B & Bs were open and had baths, we were smelling and the deal was done. 39 euro gets you a good clean in a hot tub, twin beds in case the diet´s not working and you need space, but most importantly nobody else.

Last night i got to sleep at 6.30am, I know this as it was precisely one minte after I´d said to Si – "Fat coughing french woman – time of death 6.29am – by Al with a pillow in the dorm".

 I dont know why I waited so long. She had a particular condition brought on by walking 250 miles when fat and unfit – sound familiar? – but hers was a breath, followed by a short breath, followed by a small cough, then a large cough then silence – well not quite.

I think she was doing a rosary in her sleep and one bead would fall off the string on to the floor – bounce twice then roll down the dorm and make a nice clang against the metal leg of our bunk beds.

 The first cycle took only 1 minute 47 and I started having a spread bet with myself as to whether it would be over or under 107 – when the make up was 134 seconds I thought "shit, I could have got to sleep".

There was one other sleep inducing opportunity, when she went to the toilet. She didn´t walk, more slid across the floor as if the legs were too heavy or maybe she liked to clean the floor with the soles of her feet. This glide across the floor, well actually it sounded like she was sanding the floor, took 3 minutes 42 and I definitely missed my opportunity to nod off.

But back to the present – we hae nae meat so cannae eat so we´re aff tae buy some!

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Marino on the Camino - Limerick

Sensational news outside Fromista

An old angry farmer from the east ah

here blocked the camino
With a bunch of wild merino

While the jocks laughed there's no cliffs on the meseta

Long shadows leaving Castrojeriz

It was a short day and a long day today, such is the hallucinating on the meseta
It is long and winding and towns are few and far between
Water and wine are rarer commodities and even the pilgrims are strewn along the camino
We made a couple of classic blunders
Breakfast was a laugh - when it finally opened - coffee and battenburg it is, as Harry says, the future
On the road we knew there was no water for 11km but when we stopped at itero for the wee ermita and a passport stamp we were reminded that a bar was 1 km away. Bags back on and we met up with all the gang of deranged bag carriers. Jack and Cathy, 49ers I'm sure, Helene and Janice as well as Andre and Bernadette our French speaking Canadians as well as Harry's favourite from Germany Jessica - nuff said
After stocking up on water and our usual abs, we walked off through town to find a wee supermercado and loaded more fluids - just as well - it was now midday and very hot
With 14 km to go it was exposed and nothing but fields and no shelter for the next 8 km
I found hose b in a field, Jose had earlier been found driving his farmers blockade on the camino and later sleeping under a tree,
Once we made it to Boadilla Del Camino we split up and bought lunch in the only two places
The albergue in the centre by the church has a restaurant hidden in it's swimming pool garden whereas the 80 year old running the wee shop sells 80 day old bread and chewy chorizo
After an ice cream each, helado by the name of magnum - we walked the shady route to Fromista passed the canal- it was superb except Caitlin couldn't find Caitlin's hockey boots, and I was unable to respond to the text..Luckily she found her stick which is useful to hit dogs with - all my postie friends please take note - and those on the buses should also know it's useful to drag would be passengers back when the wrong fare is paid....So we've arrived in Fromista and now I search for Si's crema

The grand canal - no not Venice

It's stunning how sad I am but I like the way the 18 th century planners moved water - here in the 21 St century we're still incapable of accepting canals are a great bit of engineering and well worth hiring a barge to take you slowly through the countryside where many shops will sell you vino tinto - ah!

If the Spanish could spell ed'mbrau

Harry has his perfect tin - a dyslexic brew that makes you talk as badly as it tastes - but it does come in a green can - check his facebook !!

We found hose B

You can't beat it - fromista

Harry opens the flood gates

Hurry up Harry c'mon

Fairy steps down the hill fairy steps down the hill, easy as she goes!

We've crossed another frontier

We're on stage 6, that's the one before 7 and just after 5

We leave behind the vineyards of the Rioja and before them the Navarre and now we struggle over the barren lands of the meseta. Beautiful it is in it's desolate florin

Leaving Castro for fromista

Not quite as easy as it sounds. Castrojeriz seems a bit like Al, slow out of the traps and slower than aslow thing when it comes to breakfast

Having wandered the streets being attacked by stray dogs and Mosquitos I've returned to the safety of the hotel where they serve breakfast at 8am

Other peregrinos are trying to settle their bills which appear to fall into the same cavernous gap. Happily we aren't in a hurry so Harry can have an extra three tabs before breakfast and I can do my abs

Je vais prendre use club as they say in ottawa - according to Andre - harry's new language teacher

::: MUNDICAMINO ::: los Caminos de Santiago

http://www.mundicamino.com/

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Harry's place after the party

Six bottles of wine was probably one too many. I knew getting him a smoking room was a bad idea

Yesterday in Hornillos del camino

I
After getting Harry such opulent surroundings I did my abs then ventured down from my squalor to see how the other half live

There a few things worse than a full albergue

Mmmm - but sitting here in the full albergue at hornbooks or Hornillos as it's better known with a top bunk, no lavadoras, a bag of smelly washing and a room of smelly peregrinos while Harry lies in his twin room on the edge of town, I'm wondering whether the full pilgrim experience is what I signed up for back in those days when I would walk across to see Walid at the western general a mere 12km round trip from Cameron toll and explain it was all part of my peregrinos training. Sleeping in a cancer ward might've been better training, although luckily for the peregrinos you get out alive. Sadly for Walid, Jackie's brother Graham, Simon Foley and Jim McCormack to name but a few in the last 6 months there is rarely a happy ending.

Thanks to everyone again for the messages of support on the blogs, email facebook etc and the generous donations to Marie curie at www.justgiving.com/fatal-bananas it does mean a lot when we're walking or listening to the rustling of poly bags at 5.15, in the morning as luckily for us we can still hear them

Burgos reminded him of St Gregory's

It just shows how wee he was last time he went there

Lost in the supermarket

Well not so much lost just a bit clueless - bumped into the three scots again - he was ordering his chorizo - and while I laughed at his Spanish I forgot what I went in for and bought a banana. That'll teach me. Went to buy water and come out with banana, close! Went to cafe and had tortilla and choco - Harry on the bocadillo - then I went back to wee shop and got aquarius not water, hmmm ...

Thirs a poondies in Burgers

Me or Grant Dalton - you decide!

I thought atapuerca man was me but there's a queue of lookie'likies!

Atapuerca my spiritual home

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Burgos cathedral

View from Burgos room

Walking past Burgos cathedral on way into town

Can't do it justice - not when we're wheezing and breathless

25km today was a game of two halves - the first half beautiful - lots of stops at cafe - second half traipsing through town - but before that walking around some secure unit before villafria

That's what you need in Burgos

I'm not saying it's a long walk from the pans to murrayfield but it is!

You need to change tyres three times walking through Burgos

That's the sun up

This morning we left our separate albergues and hit the road by 8am

A first since day one

I'd munched my brekky early as my neighbour in bunk 30 had been doing a lighthouse impersonation at 5.58am. I know this because the laser beams provided by his irritating head torch had already passed by my head 23 times before I finally got up and had a dump. No sooner than five
Minutes later he dropped a plastic bottle out of the
Any plastic bags he was rustling and it rolled under my bed which was up against the wall. I know this because I heard it hit the wall and the laser beams were onto the case immediately. I said calm down obione we have the force

Where Ewan macgregor when you need him

But more of that later!

Hi Paul - we laid stones here for your Dad

I'm sure Vic and his pal the priest would approve!

One for the Spanish viewers

Breakfast of champions on day 14

Yes day 14 and it's Burgos today

Many stop their pilgrimage here but not us - depending on cloud cover we may pass through Burgos and do a longer day. Hence the early start!

Chewy mcchewy eats the famous Burgos black pudding

Morcilla in castille y Leon

Vino tinto y cerveza

Sunflowers give the Scottish peregrinos a nod

It's nice tae see the sunflowers geein us a nod as we go by

Not long now Har'

Scaring ra Bairns!!

4 years ago my brother Nodrog told me not to put anymore pics up on the blog as we were scaring the bairns

4 years on those hills were a dawdle!!

Aye - that's why Harry is off camera in a ditch!

Half hour later - up same

Big thunder mountain was where Caitlin and I spent most of our time at eurodisney many years ago

UsuLly coaxing jAckie onto the BTM ride so we could laugh at her bouncing around

Once you had been on the BTM once you knew which berth was the outside one and which had the luxury of squeezing the other person out of the carraige!!

Well this is nowt to do with that and just a panoramic from the top of the mountain

Perfect Day - Halfway up mountain from montes de Oca

Any excuse for a rest back in 2011. I still couldn't cope with hills, while Harry wandered up them fag in hand. This is a lovely stretch just before you get to Burgos.

Villafranca montes de Oca

How the Scottish peregrinos decide which to enter, when faced with a town with two pubs

Hotel on edge of belorado

If I'm ever there again that's where you stop - last place in town - not the first - first rule of the camino

Looking for a pub-8:00am Sunday santo Domingo

Just for agua of course!

Leaving santo domingo

Panoramic on way to border at Grannon

Border control castille y Leon

Redecilla del Camino on a Sunday

Little vineyards on the hillside

Alfresco is such good rhyming slang

You'll hear this song a lot but we need to work on the accent and also not singing after walking up a hill!

Breathless in Burgos !!

This is a two part song

Let me eat in peace ya wino!

Happy birthday Tom

54 - my last front nine!!

Outside the cathedral

Alright says Harry - here's another wedding we can gatecrash

Looks like the food will be better too

Inside the cathedral video outside

That's no me I'm banana!!

Santo Domingo de la calzada

After a short days walk past numerous fascinating sights including the golf course at Rioja Alto where we stopped for cafe con leche and not the nitrous nutty thick chocolate nutella of 2007, we parked ourselves here

It's a lovely cafe with a great view of the church. See the people halfway up the belltower? Surely not pilgrims they'd be too knackered to carry on extra- camino affairs!

Happy Birthday Tom!!!

View from Azofra bedroom window

The thing about the Albergues in Spain is you usually roll up knackered and then after your six minute abs it's off for some refreshingly cold beer and into the shade

This is swiftly followed by the checking of pellegrino menus and the decisive part of the day - what's for tea!

Obviously there has to be some accompaniment to the vino tinto and alubias and limo usually win although last night we did deviate as I'm doing now

The point of the story is late risers like to take in the views and this one from our bedroom window is worth the 7 euro we paid, the fact we got private bunks is merely down to the notoriety Harry has acquired on the camino

I blame it on the arroz tomat y huevos starter and the veau jamon y queso main nothing to do with the Rioja

Viana hung out the bunting for Kevin's 40th

This was our breakfast stop on Wednesday and Harry bought himself some sandals

Very comfy pictures coming soon

That's how to collect the grapes

Another hot day on the camino

When Harry met 2 lassies fae Ontario province

Oh and Michael from Galway and Harry fae ra inch cumbie

I'm sure they'll explain it better!

Thanks davie melon

Harry has been ignoring me all day

The lake outside logrono at 2pm

Somehow the email address I'm using has been hijacked by the usual scams

Ignore anything talking about money we are slimy skint torags but only begging for Marie curie anything else is phoney and I will delete when I reach a pc. Luckily Harry is with me and the rest of you are smart enough to spot the nonsense from the nonsensical

A blast back in time

The same shirt the same back drop but the picture from 2007 will probably look a wee bit different!

Oops wrong photo

Gordon, stu, this is the cheers!!

Version control is everything - I'm sacking my editor

Anyone for an easy day tomorrow?

Cheers Gordon Hedley a true gent on the golf course and off. We raise our glasses to you!

Harry sends a message to Stevie Lyon

Hi Stevie it's simple

When you are 6 up with 7 to play against Paul McManus you win the 12 th

Legend has it this guy was mental and had a big head

What a big head to fit this

Directions to the kennels from Azofra

Happy birthday Kevin

You need to turn your monitor 90 degrees

Cutting a dash to Navarette

Well that was the plan but the weather forecast may see us staying in Logrono this afternoon

We leave about forty minutes so should make Viana by 11am

Yum yum elevenses

Then Logrono for 1-2pm - as it's a big city and we walk around it

Then navarette for four

The Navarre region deserves a special mention as back in the old days before Swanys was the Navarre in Minto St and that's one of the reasons we are walking for Marie curie

Www.justgiving.com/fatal-bananas

Oor amigos ameriques

After roughing it last night for 5 euro

Today we have a room with a view that is less than a year old

The water in the pool is only five minutes old it's freezing

Starters at villamayor de montjardin 10euro menu with wine

Yum yum

Mad dog and Banana out in the midday sun

Day 7 started early but halted quickly as we queued for breakfast with the staff at the brilliant bar montjardin

We nearly left at 8.15am but a car screamed up the street and we immediately recognised the wee woman thrown out of the window. She scrambled to her feet and clearly she looked a wee bit different from the one supplying us with that smooth four euro fifty vino tinto.

Soon she was scrambling our tortilla Francesca and with half a loaf we ate heartily

We walked the 13km to Los arcos between 9-12 then after coffee walked on to Torres del rio

This was taken just after Los arcos home of a very good restaurant and loads of arches

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View from villamayor montjardin

The king of pamplona created this village in 905ad - smart guy it's a belter

Day 7 tuesday 7.15am

Day 7--7.20am

Clive the food please

Sent from my iPod

When Harry met Vicky and Olly

Plans for day 6 by victor and jack

Great gardening tips from les pellegrinos escotia

Car reversing after wrong turn down camino

Lunch in Lorca day 5 on the way to Santiago

No pictures as nobody wants a video of us eating tortilla and bocadillo

Yum yum

Sent from my iPod

Facilities

On the camino the facilities are not as regular as the pilgrims

As a result it is always wise to rise slowly from your bunk

Day 5 has commenced and we're being thrown out, luckily there is another door and Harry has sneaked back onto the cludgie

Sent from my iPod

Happy anniversary from the camino

25 years eh? Well done, as we say on the camino, next stop golden anniversary 2036

I cant see No Geordies on the camino

When Harry met Brenda

The old soak talks more nonsense than me - end of day 4 on the camino

Banana goes shopping again

Fantastico!!!

This wind is messing with my hat

Harry stand tall with pilgrim sculptures at Alto del Perdon

Al skips past the pilgrim sculptures at Alto del Perdon

A fine tribute to Walid - if only Ahmet could speed it up and set it to music

Slow going down the hill after Alto del Perdon

Little boxes sung by Harry - turn up the volume Dave

Some things are private

Watch dafties walk through siesta taking Orbanos at 3pm

Today's adventures on the camino trail

Harry tells the tale of his top two from stage while fat Al holds the camera

Crashing a wedding and being thrown out by the father of the bride was definitely mine. I was using the facilities while our Har was asking the father of the bride for "dos cafe con leche"

Puente la Reina

What a great place

We had three beers as Harry didn't want to go into the bar and buy fags and moet else, walking up that hill seemed a lot easier!

It's goodnight from him and it's goodnight from me

Rough guide to munching in Pamplona

There were two pubs and we had a beer in each and shared a vino Tinto and a tapas

Tortilla was freshly made on cruacha and bill was 13 euro for food and drink

Amstel bar was 12 euro

Result!!!!!!

Harry prays to santiago while the fat boy eats

Pamplona castle entrance and moet no chandon

Pamplona skyline

Superb views from the hotel here - our wee reward system is paying dividends, Harry got a smoking room!!

And tomorrow we'll be off at 8/9am to puente la reina where they have a swimming pool at the albergue so after a seven hour walk we can soak at the poolside in the sun or shade

Missing you all loads x x x

The bridge at the mill by the XII church trinidad de arre

Pamplona jakeys II - the sequel

We don't often drink, honest!!!

Pamplona jakeys

Are these how artichokes grow?

I have no idea but they look like them

We stopped in larasoane for an hour, the cafe was in casa irete, Harry explained like casa gerrard it means it's some body's house. It took us twenty minutes to find as it is hidden and there are no signs until you enter her shop but she was a very happy especially after har handed over the 50euro. He bought more stuff to carry!!!

zubiri albergue day 2 santiago de compostela

Top tip from davie melon

Get down to the Quiz!

After tea Harry explains Al's success with the octogenarian french couples on the camino

After lunch in erro we left lintzoain

It was another tough climb but luckily I don't smoke. Z zzz

Panorama after burguete

Harry wakes the fat boy too early

Harry sums it up before the descent to zubiri

We only had thirty minutes left but we knew it was a tough descent as we drop 270m in less than 2 km very steep so we chatted to the young English couple then Harry chatted to camera!

Looking back from burguete

Day 2 burguete supermerkat .com

Summit wrong we made it to the top!

We only had a few minutes before being chased down by the cloud!

It's 2pm and the sun comes out

Funnily enough after all the cloud we walked through the sun burnt through and I got to film near the summit of col leopoder

The video clip ten minutes later was From the top just as the cloud started chasing us down the mountain

Bueno camino volcanic vertigo

Sheer drop - trees on the slope

Resting in hunto

Cmon the boys - only another 895 to go

The tale of the tape!!!

Fwd: camino days 1-7

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