Sunday, 27 September 2015

Fat Al left on his own - again

Take a look at this video on YouTube:

http://youtu.be/pD3WBobOPAk

Back in the days when fat Al sung!

Top tips for pilgrims after Burgos

Hi guys

My favourite albergue just 8km after castrojeriz is Albergue hogar. Eat at the monchilla but try not to stay there. The people are amazing but the showers are really tough for tired fat people.
After you walk over to boadilla ( not a place to stay) you carry on to Fromista via the canal - after that you hit a wee pueblo then a big pueblo - big pueblo offers a right turn then left along river - much nice than road. Eventually you merge with road and carry on down to a wee town then on 8km to carion des Los condes- best place here is monsterio San Xolio at end of town. San zolio is last building before you take the 16km walk on to half way and the best town is templarios (3k after ledigos) about 26k. The albergue on the edge of town is fairly new has twin and single rooms and reasonably spacious dorm. Another good stop is 16 km later at sahagun where the nuns at the end of town offer very cheap accommodation for pilgrims in twin or single rooms 30-40€ I think so 20 if you share

Burgo ranero has limited rooms but a few albergues - I think if you have the strength it's an easy 12km to a town called religeous where a new albergue on the edge of town has a mix of good single or twin rooms and a six bed albergue style room all beds no bunks. I shared it once with a Brazilian contingent and I snored like a "chainsaw"!

Walking down early to man silla de las mulas gives you the option of the 9:30 bus in or having a leisurely but boring motorway walk in. Next bus is about 3 so don't sleep in.

Leon parador is very cheap so for those who like 5 stars check it out!

Jay Campbell remembers big Rog

El cid in Burgos frozen in time

Burgos south gate

Wednesday, 23 September 2015

Don't stay in redecilla Delhi camino

You stay in granon or you get the 2pm bus out

The bus stop is halfway through the town so yourself a favour and bus out of town down to belorado- seriously if you get the bus to villa Franca montes de oca and go to the €30 pension by the bus stop you'll see the hat!

Www.fatal.bananas.blogspot.pot

Don't do this to me

Fat Gary sings Zoom

Even when it's busy

Harry presents his colours

Paul and fat Al watch fat Gary & the band

The crowd thins out at 5pm for siesta time to get up!

Los arcos on Saturday night before logrono Sunday

Banana and Paul with a minion

We always finish at paganos on calle laurel

I was a bad custodian

Surely looking after a hat is easy

Eh....! No!

I'm a guy who says aye nae problem you have a Shitey whitey hat and want a yellow one - give you Harry's as I'm the custodian

I remember this

A fiesta and I still remember the best pub in logrono for meeting our friends from Germany

How good was the detente- you spoke English and I said Ich bin win shcnacker- I couldn't say it or pronounce it but you all gave me the benefit of the doubt

I still thank. You.&- you & you

It's never too late to ....

Drinking on your own is a sad boys game

But pardon the apostrophe and recognise the gain

I'm lucky in logrono with the blood red vino tinto

It pours across the courtyards and tastes magnifico

Am I to decline the opportunity to sample life's riches

Or get a chance to scratch another of life's itches

It's one to ponder and ponder I will on the road to navarette

ItS a ponder I am fonder of than walking with that gettttttttt!

Did I tell you about that New Zealand guy.....

A long long road to azofra

On the road to azofra

Paul's rucsac too small...

Cuban rice in azofra

Plates of food - he's a faster eater

Paul's new favourite wine

Villafranca Montes de Oca

A restaurant to blow you away

We are staying in a pension by the bus stop. Cheap as chips and the bus stop lets you know we caught the 2pm bus from santo Domingo

A great walk today and no sweat once we'd climbed the hill approaching the golf club. Azofra gave us a great sleep - twin berths and €7 each it's still best value on the camino. Our €45 is reasonable - it's a double bed and a fold down settee but no baffle board for the noisy nutter in ginger! To be fair I slept well last night so I can contest this clash of the snoring Titans

The restaurant is the point. We agreed we'd pay €40 for our 2012 crianza, Rioja and our morcilla and pork steaks combo with peppers onions etc making the flavour fabulous

We couldn't finish the food although the wine was not wasted. The bill was €18----6,6,6 ridiculously cheap and proving yet again there is less poverty in the country world - au contraire it's in the cities where a plate of food so delicious and well balanced is not sold for £4.55 and wine is not £4.55 and the sun is not shining so you can eat with Al fresco because the building opposite is too close

If you stop in montes de oca - go down point at the food and say that marinated pork steak please and that morcilla!!

It's hiding behind the trucks at the trucker stop

Cardenuela riopico

As you walk over from Atapuerca you approach a lovely pueblo that most people walk through

I stopped once and stay here every time now. Halfway down the street having passed the place on the edge of town you look right to the fountain you look left across a stream to a bar/hostel and straight on to a bar on the right and an albergue on the left.

Do your feet a treat and cross the stream to a cheap and luxurious €25 room.

The food is good for the meal And it means you are ready to walk the good river road to Burgos or get the 9am bus when you surface from your peaceful night's sleep !!

It may be advisable to book ahead as there are only 3 bedrooms and 12 beds in the albergue room but it's always been quiet when I rolled into town! But now I'm advertising it who knows

Sent from my iPhone

Tuesday, 22 September 2015

Monday, 21 September 2015

Logrono changes everything

Not for the first time my camino plans have changed

This street is superb but it comes at a price

Not the one euro skewers from paganos

I mean I'm still in bed after a 2am finish

Tomorrow is Tuesday we go to azofra but today I lie low in navarette

So add a day to

Tuesday we get to granon or villambistia

Wednesday montes de oca or atapuerca and

Saturday, 19 September 2015

First he put his tea bag in the ashtray

But Paul held it together

Then he slurped his tea in Paul's ear and that was that

You might be a London stockbroker and make loads a cash

You might even be my friend but when you put a tea bag on the ashtray And then slurp your tea I say

"No Donald, you are not my friend....."

Stunning

And then there were only 97 stragglers