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Voorbereiding, paar weken voor vertrek
Voorbereiding, 2 dagen voor vertrek

heenreis dag 1, huis – Schiphol – Brussel- Parijs- Hendaye – Irun,
heenreis dag 2, Irun – Bilbao – Logroño

Camping dag 1
Camping dag 2
Camping dag 3
Camping dag 4
Camping dag 5
Camping dag 6
Camping dag 7
Camping dag 8
Camping dag 9
Camping dag 10 / Repatriëring / terugreis, Porto – Schiphol – Thuis!

Weer thuis
Terugblik

A few weeks before leaving

march 13, 2025 door rolstoelpelgrim

It’s been a while, but here’s finally another blog post. That’s because there are only a few weeks left before I leave. On 1 April, I’ll board the train and travel to Logroño in two to three days, where I ended up last year. This will be the final stage. I started in 2016, and after 10 years, I will finally arrive in Santiago (but don’t worry, I will continue pilgrimaging after Santiago).

Last week, I happened to run into the Augustinian sisters from both Utrecht and Hilversum where I stayed in 2016 (the latter now also live in Utrecht) when I was at a Taizé celebration in Utrecht, where Brother Sebastiaan (the Dutch brother of Taizé) was also present. I stayed with these sisters during my first pilgrimage in 2016. It was nice to see them and talk to them.

Recently, I have also been busy with preparations. Among other things, I bought a new waterproof rucksack with a little more space for my large night splint for my leg, which I didn’t have room for in my rucksack last year. The disadvantage was that I had to carry it in the front pocket of my tent, but when my tent got wet, so did my splint, which wasn’t ideal. In the coming weeks, I will be packing and hopefully taking a test ride so that I know how best to load everything onto my wheelchair. I will write about those changes along the way, because then I can also tell you whether it works and what exactly has changed.

A few weeks ago, I had another interview and photo shoot. This time for the ANWB Kampioen. It will be published at the end of this month, and I will share it here as well.

So, there will be occasional blog posts in the coming period, and daily posts again from 1 April! If you don’t follow me yet, you can subscribe to my newsletter on the homepage. You will then receive an email when I post something.

Greetings,

Wheelchairpilgrim

2 days to go

March 30, 2025 door rolstoelpelgrim

Only two days to go before departure. Last week was busy with the final preparations, such as packing, repairing things and checking that everything is complete. But now almost everything is ready and packed (except for a few things that can only be done at the last minute, such as my mobile phone charger and night splint).

On the night of 15 to 16 March, I rolled the Silent Procession in Amsterdam with a group from the church (two busloads!). We started at the church in Langeraar and then left by bus for Amsterdam. There, in the chapel at the Begijnhof, we had a celebration and then we set off. I have done this many times before, but it remains impressive, especially because of the contrast between the silent, praying pilgrims and the nightlife of, among other places, Amsterdam’s Warmoesstraat.

The only thing I found unfortunate was that the lamp that normally stands at the end point in the Kalverstraat was no longer there. This was because the lamp had been loaned to a museum in connection with the 750th anniversary of Amsterdam, and the museum staff brought it back to the museum at midnight. Hopefully it will be back next year. Afterwards, we had a bread meal in Langeraar and I was back home around 3 a.m.

Last night, I went to church where I received the pilgrim’s blessing from the priest. I also took the opportunity to test my wheelchair with all my luggage. A journey of about 16 km (8 one way). I packed a little differently than in previous years because I have a new bag, among other things. So suddenly it’s a different puzzle to get the balance right. But as I rolled along last night, it went pretty well. And I can always adjust the rest along the way. So I’m almost ready.

There is only one thing missing, and that is a cable from my wheelchair (from the battery to the wheel). About three weeks ago, I damaged that cable; it was somehow positioned incorrectly, causing it to get stuck between my anti-tip wheel. Fortunately, it still works, but the rubber protective layer is damaged. Unfortunately, everything went wrong at the supplier’s end, so first it was ordered too late, and then when I thought it had arrived, it turned out to be the wrong cable.

Thanks to an extremely helpful mechanic, it is now on its way to me by post (DPD) and I am hoping that it will be delivered tomorrow. The mechanic repaired the damaged cable as best he could and tested it, which showed that it is working normally, but I still hope that I can leave with a new cable. So that is still a bit of a worry.

On Tuesday around 8 a.m., I will depart from Schiphol by train. Because I need assistance getting on and off the train, I have to be there earlier, and I also have to charge my wheelchair, so I have to be at Schiphol around 7 a.m. to have everything ready on time. So that means getting up early.

I also received a magazine with a interview with me. you can read that here: (sorry, in Dutch)

Two more days and then I will be writing a daily blog again. If you haven’t already done so, you can sign up for my newsletter on the homepage, and you will receive a notification when I post something new.

Wheelchairpilgrim

PS. Monday, 22 March. The cable just arrived in the post! Thankfully, that’s sorted. Now I’m ready to go!

Reisdag 1

april 1, 2025 door rolstoelpelgrim

This morning around 7 o’clock, I was already at Schiphol Airport; my son drove me there. I packed all my luggage onto my wheelchair (I have a Fiat Panda, so it’s quite a puzzle, and he certainly can’t fit everything into the car) and rolled to the train station. I was helped onto the train, and so began the first part of my journey.

In my previous blog, I wrote that it was still uncertain whether my broken cable would arrive on time, but it did. It arrived on Monday afternoon. I sent a message to my Medipoint technician, and he was able to come straight away and fix it immediately. (Thank you again if you are reading this!) That was one less thing to worry about.

Back to today, I had my first (short) transfer in Brussels, and then it was Paris’s turn. I had four hours there, but I also had to roll about 6 km from one station to the other.

On the way, I passed Notre Dame, which I hadn’t visited since the fire. I had seen it from the outside last year, but it was still closed at the time. Now I had enough time to stop by. The advantage of a wheelchair is that I don’t have to queue up, I could just go in through the exit. Inside, there was a very helpful employee who helped me get to the more difficult to access areas. For example, the raised choir loft. On the side of the chancel, there was a lift hidden in the stairs, so I was able to get there after all! He also let me get closer than the other people in other places so that I had a good view. Always nice! I also got a stamp in my pilgrim’s passport!

Then it was time for the last train of the day, from Paris to Hendaye. From Hendaye, I rolled to Irun, which is almost the same place but on the Spanish border. This is where I’ll be sleeping tonight.

Tomorow morning I take the train from Irun and go on.

Wheelchairpilgrim

Reisdag 2

april 2, 2025 door rolstoelpelgrim

This morning around 8 o’clock we left for the train station. When we arrived, it turned out that a large construction site where a new station is currently being built… the temporary station was inaccessible. I then tried another station, but that was unsuccessful; there was no one behind the counter and it seemed inaccessible anyway. I then decided to roll back to Hendaye. From there, things went better; I first took two trains to Bilbao. These were local trains that, in my opinion, stopped every five minutes on a journey of over two hours.

Something went wrong at Bilbao, causing me to travel too far. Fortunately, there was a helpful woman who helped me get off the train so that I could take the other train back a few stops. And so I made it to the city after all. In Bilbao, it was still a search for the next station for the train, but after three stations and several ticket offices, I finally found the right one. Here, I was well assisted, both with the tickets and getting on the train, because this fast train had a high entrance. Fortunately, they had a ramp with a lift. The journey went smoothly, with only two stops in two and a half hours, so it was a nice, steady ride. Beautiful views of the mountains along the way.

When I arrived in Logroño, I quickly recognised it from last year and soon found my place to sleep. The parish hostel. I was recognised; they don’t often have wheelchair pilgrims here. My wheelchair is parked under a canopy in an enclosed garden, just like last year. It’s not very accessible here, but it’s a nice place and because I can still walk a little, it’s manageable. And they do have a lift, which is nice because climbing stairs is always difficult for me. After arriving, I went to my room briefly and then to Mass in the neighbouring church. Then I had dinner with 20 other pilgrims and ended the evening with a communal evening prayer in the church.

Now I’m lying comfortably on my bed in my little dormitory. Tomorrow it will really begin!

Wheelchairpilgrim

Pelgrimstocht dag 1, Logroño – Navarette

april 3, 2025 door rolstoelpelgrim

Finally, the day has arrived: day 1 of my pilgrimage. Unfortunately, the weather is not cooperating and it is raining. Fortunately, I have good waterproof clothing and bags.

First I had breakfast at the inn and then I set off. Today I cycled on a lot of bad roads, and all the sand and rain made me very muddy, but luckily my raincoat and trousers kept that at bay. There was a lot of climbing and descending, mostly not very long but quite steep.

Along the way, I saw a number of typical pilgrim things, including various statues of pilgrims, and I saw a fence with all kinds of wooden crosses hanging on it, which I had already read about in my book. I also cycled past a reservoir.

When I arrived in Navarette, I first went to the church. They have an enormous, impressive altar there. Large and with lots of gold. There were also lots of images of both Bible stories and saints. It was still too early to go to the hostel, but my untrained body had had enough. I recharged my batteries in the church and just sat and rested for a while. I also spoke to a woman. Despite the language barrier, we managed to communicate well with a translation app and had a good conversation. I will see her again later tonight when I go to church.

I finally went to the inn around 3 p.m. It’s very inaccessible, but I managed. I can park my chair at the reception desk. I’m sleeping upstairs. Now I’m lying on the bed, resting a bit. Tomorrow I’ll continue.

Wheelchairpilgrim

Pelgrimstocht dag 2, van Navarrete naar….. Navarrete

april 4, 2025 door rolstoelpelgrim

As you can see from the title, my day turned out differently than I had expected when I wrote the blog yesterday afternoon. As I wrote then, I was going to go to church. Just before church time, I went to my wheelchair and it was dead… I had already had some problems with the switch on my motor during the day, but it was still working. However, when I wanted to start my chair, it didn’t respond. I opened the switch and found two loose parts, so it couldn’t be repaired. I also sent the Medipoint mechanic some photos of the problem, hoping he could help remotely. But even that didn’t provide a solution. After trying a few more things, I gave up. I decided to hobble to the church, which fortunately was only 150 metres away, and although I normally never walk more than 50 metres, I can do it in an emergency. The only thing is that I pay a heavy price for it during the night and the following day, with a lot more pain. But I was willing to pay that price, and it turned out to be a good choice.

At the end of the service, the woman I had spoken to in the afternoon invited me to have something to eat and drink at a bar next to the church. I was served a delicious soup with lots of chickpeas and other vegetables. We communicated via the translation app because she only speaks Spanish and I don’t… After returning to the hostel, I went to sleep. Apparently, despite the pain (I did take extra painkillers) and stress, I was so tired that I fell asleep quickly.

Sometime in the middle of the night, I saw a message from the mechanic with a photo showing where the contacts in the switch are located. In the morning, I got to work on it. After fiddling with the contacts for a while, I figured out which of the four needed to be connected to make it work. Using a piece of copper wire from an extra USB cable (which I cut up), I was able to connect the contacts and secured them with a piece of duct tape. Then it worked again. Although the wheelchair cannot be turned off now (only by removing the battery), that’s not so bad. At least it’s running again. First, I looked for a garage to have the piece of copper soldered in place of the duct tape, but unfortunately that didn’t work out. Even the woman from the church tried to find a place where they could solder it, but she was unsuccessful. But despite that, it seems to be working.

As long as it stays in place for a few days. In the meantime, I have arranged through the mechanic and importer of my wheelchair wheels for them to send me a new part to a parcel point in Burgos. About 110 km away. I hope to be there in about 5 days and hopefully the wheelchair part will be there too. Otherwise, I’ll just have to wait there.

After all this hassle and work on the wheelchair, I was so tired (both physically and mentally) that I decided not to roll any further. Besides, it was already around noon. So I rolled to the campsite.

When I went to pitch my tent, the woman from the church came by to invite me over for something to eat, which was perfect because I had hardly eaten anything due to all the commotion. After I had pitched my tent (on a lawn full of daisies), she drove me to her house and spoiled me with all kinds of goodies, including soup, eggs, bread, fruit and yoghurt. Then she took me back to the campsite, where I am now writing on my air mattress. Time to rest for a while, because at 7:15 p.m. she will pick me up again to go to church together.

And then I’ll go to bed early. Tomorrow I’ll continue rolling, hoping that my wheelchair will continue to work. At least I now know how to repair it. And so the day ended on a positive note after all.

Wheelchairpilgrim

Pelgrimstocht Dag 3, Navarrete – Nájera

april 5, 2025 door rolstoelpelgrim

Last night I went to church. The woman from the church I wrote about yesterday picked me up by car. Because it was Friday, there was a tour of the church with the Stations of the Cross before Mass. After church, she gave me a cup of hot soup. Then she took me back to the campsite. With something warm in my stomach, I was able to get into my tent/sleeping bag and slept well.

This morning, I packed up my tent and other things and set off. I also had the opportunity to repack a little differently and have now improved the balance slightly. Weight doesn’t matter much on my wheelchair, but balance does. Too much weight at the front makes it difficult to steer and I can’t do wheelies anymore. But too much weight at the back causes me to tip backwards quickly and makes it difficult to take slopes. Sometimes, moving a small amount of weight can make a big difference.

Once I left the campsite, I rolled past the woman from the church. She lives on the route. I said hello and she gave me all kinds of treats (chocolate, biscuits, etc.). She also gave me several pictures of Mary and the Archangel Michael, as well as a rosary. She wanted to give me more and I had to make an effort to refuse, but I can’t take everything with me with the limited space on my wheelchair. But it was a kind gesture! A kind of Camino grandmother! Then I said goodbye and set off. My wheelchair didn’t give me any trouble today, so I’m glad my emergency repair worked.

Today’s route mainly ran through vineyards. I noticed that there are many fields here with old vines that are not tied to wires but simply stand loose. I have seen many vineyards in France, but they are always tied to wires. I also saw a few small olive groves here and there.

On the way, I also enjoyed the blossoms of almond trees. Last year, I was in Spain during harvest time and was able to pick/eat almonds, and it’s nice to see them in bloom now. Especially since I’ll be missing the blossoms in my own garden (I have lots of fruit trees in my mini garden at home).

It is a beautiful area here. Lots of mountains, and in the distance I could see mountains with snow on their peaks.

The first half of the ride was uphill, first a moderate climb that was manageable, but the last part was very tough (12%) and I had to reverse. In any case, I notice that my arms are still untrained, so that didn’t help. Fortunately, the second half was almost entirely downhill, at least, that was the intention… Halfway down the descent, I ended up at a roadblock. That meant rolling back 3 km, uphill. Fortunately, I met a cyclist (who was also cycling towards the roadblock) and he knew an alternative route to get to my destination. Once I had climbed back up, I was able to start the descent via the other road. I then rolled fairly quickly to my final destination. Now I am in the hostel, a large, spacious dormitory where my wheelchair can be parked at the foot of the bed and the toilet/shower is 10 metres away, which is very nice.

Tomorow I go on.

Wheelchairpilgrim

Pelgrimstocht Dag 4 Nájera – Santo Domingo de la Calzada

april 6, 2025 door rolstoelpelgrim

Last night I went to church in Nájera. A Saturday evening service is the same as a Sunday morning service, so I’m skipping today. This dates back to the time when the change of day was not at midnight but at sunset. So Saturday evening was already part of Sunday. (You can still see this today with, for example, St. Nicholas’ Eve. In the Netherlands, we celebrate this on the evening of 5 December, which is actually already 6 December, the day of St. Nicholas).

This was another beautiful church. After Mass, the priest told us a few things about the church, but unfortunately I couldn’t follow it in Spanish. The pilgrims present also received a stamp in their pilgrim’s passport. That’s nice because I’ve just started a new one and I don’t like an almost empty passport.

I slept rather restlessly last night, especially from around 4 a.m. when the first pilgrims left. I am a late pilgrim and think 8 a.m. is early enough to leave. I also prefer not to walk in the dark, so I leave late. I ate my bread at the hostel with a piece of dark chocolate that I had received yesterday. The people at the hostel brought me some tea. They were very helpful anyway. Then I had my photo taken with the people from the hostel and it was time to leave.

I decided to take a different route than the official one in the guidebook. That route said that the detour was more beautiful than the shorter route via a road parallel to the motorway, which would be boring. But the route in the guidebook was a lot longer and had more mountains, so I decided to go for the boring option. But I thought it was a great road. Although it was quite close to the motorway, I only saw it occasionally. Otherwise, there were beautiful views of mountains (with some snow-capped peaks), beautiful yellow rapeseed fields, olive and vineyards and lots of blossoms. There was little traffic, more cyclists than cars. The cyclists all waved and wished me Buen Camino (have a good trip) or gave me a thumbs up. So, another good ride. My wheelchair is still working fine, fortunately no technical problems. And the weather was nice, sun, blue sky and clouds.

Now I am in Santo Domingo de la Calzada, at the inn. I am going into town shortly. I will write about that tomorrow. Unfortunately, I cannot visit the cathedral this afternoon as I had planned, because it is already closed. Hopefully, I will be able to do so tomorrow morning.

Wheelchairpilgrim

Pilgrimage, day 5, Santo Domingo de la Calzada -Belorado

april 7, 2025 by rolstoelpelgrim

Yesterday afternoon, I visited the museum and the cathedral. There are roosters living in the cathedral! There is a remarkable 14th-century story behind this. A couple travelled to Santiago with their son, and in Santo Domingo de la Calzada, the son was falsely accused and hanged. On their way back, the parents saw that the boy was alive on the gallows. When they reported this to the judge, who was eating a roast cockerel at the time, he said, ‘That boy is as alive as this chicken.’ And then something miraculous happened: the roast chicken came to life and the boy was allowed to return to his parents. That is why there are roosters living in a chicken coop in the church.

There were two museums that I could visit with the same ticket. One was attached to the cathedral and the other was in a monastery. Both had all kinds of church art. Old, beautifully embroidered church vestments and cloths, liturgical objects, paintings, sculptures, an exhibition of all kinds of ivory objects and old church books. I also found the Stations of the Cross interesting, as they had Dutch text underneath them. It makes me curious as to how that ended up there. I also really enjoyed looking at the clothing and embroidery. I like sewing and doing all kinds of handicrafts, and I always enjoy seeing the techniques that are used. After the cathedral and the museums, I went back to the inn. I sat in the garden for a while and ate (the last bit of bread and cheese) and then went to bed around 8 p.m.

In the morning, I heard the first ones leaving early. I left around 8 a.m. but had to wait a while before I could actually set off because I needed bread and the supermarket didn’t open until 9 a.m. I wanted to take the same route as yesterday, but that road turned out to be closed. So I followed the route book. It was only 10 km more. Fortunately, it wasn’t very steep, mostly false flat, with a 1 to 3 per cent incline for most of the day, but that’s doable. I cycled through agricultural land. At first, I thought it was mostly grass, but it turned out to be grain, only 5 to 10 cm high. There were also some vineyards and lots of cheerful yellow rapeseed fields. Behind the fields, I could see the mountains.

On the way, I received a call from a journalist from the Algemeen Dagblad newspaper for an interview. I’ll let you know as soon as it’s published. It will probably be on Saturday.

Now I’m in Belorado. In the village, I saw beautifully painted houses. I’m now lying on my bed in the parish hostel.

Off to church at 7 p.m. and then an early night. After more than 30 km, my shoulders are feeling it. I could do with a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow we continue!

Wheelchairpilgrim

Pilgrimage day, 6 Belorado – Villafranca Montes de Oca

april 8, 2025 by rolstoelpelgrim

Yesterday I wrote that I would go to church, which I did, but there was no service because the priest was attending a funeral. I did visit the church and got a stamp in my pilgrim’s passport (which was on a table at the back of the church).

Then I went back to the inn. I talked to the managers for a while and then got ready for bed. I had to plan this carefully because I was sleeping upstairs again (and the wheelchair was downstairs) and I can’t go up and down those stairs too often. Fortunately, I had thought of everything and hadn’t forgotten anything, so I didn’t have to go down the stairs again until after a good, long night’s sleep.

I had breakfast in the morning and then left. I had planned to cover a long distance, but I could feel in my body that this would be too much after yesterday’s long day, and today I had to choose between about 12 km or almost 30 km, with no place to sleep in between on my route. In the end, I opted for the shorter distance. I don’t have many photos today because it was a busy road with a lot of heavy traffic. Fortunately, it did quiet down a bit on that road by the end of the morning. From the road, I occasionally saw pilgrims walking along a sandy path.

I am now at the hostel, which is a hotel downstairs and a pilgrim hostel with dormitories upstairs. When I arrived, there were just two cyclists, but since 1 p.m. more and more pilgrims have been arriving. Some of them I have met before. I have just done a more extensive wash and hung it on a washing line together with my tent (which was still damp from the last time I camped). The tent will be dry soon and I’ll bring it back inside. Then I can use it again soon.

Now I’m lying comfortably in bed writing this. This afternoon and evening I’m taking it easy. Maybe I’ll tidy up a few things and transfer my photos from my camera to my hard drive, but mainly I’ll rest and lie down (since my operation I’m still not quite back to my old self, although my strength is still recovering, albeit very slowly). I’ll go to bed early tonight and continue tomorrow.

Wheelchairpilgrim

Pilgrimage, Day 7, Villafranca Montes de Oca – Santovenia

april 9, 2025 by rolstoelpelgrim

Had a fairly good night’s sleep, but from 6 a.m. onwards it became more restless in the ward and people started packing. Around 8 a.m. I had to leave the hostel, because I still needed bread and the shop wasn’t open yet, so I had to wait until 9 a.m. It was quite chilly in the morning. When the shop opened at 9 o’clock, it turned out they didn’t have any fresh bread, only pre-packaged, long-life bread. So I decided to wait a little longer because there is also a bakery that opens at 9.30. But in the end, it opened earlier and I was able to set off at 9.15. I followed the busy road again. Actually, the road isn’t even that busy compared to Dutch roads, but the point is that it’s almost exclusively (90% or so) lorry traffic. Huge numbers of lorries speeding by. Fortunately, almost all of them give me plenty of room. Many drivers honk their horns and wave cheerfully or give me a thumbs up.

On the way, I spoke to a Belgian cyclist (from Wallonia, we spoke English). Together we passed a roadblock where traffic was only allowed on one side of the road. My slowness (uphill) made the traffic jam even worse. Meanwhile, we talked about our routes and the reasons for being on the road. After the roadblock, he cycled on.

I spent a large part of the day cycling through the forest. I really love the forest, so I was happy about that. On the left, it was mainly coniferous forest and on the right, mainly deciduous trees. There were also trees in bloom at regular intervals. There was a steep climb until just after the road closure, but soon after that there was a gentle descent to my destination.

I also passed an old and interesting chapel on the side of the road, sadly in a state of disrepair. It’s a real shame that it is slowly decaying and becoming overgrown.

Now I am at the hostel in Santovenia. My wheelchair is in the storage room of the restaurant downstairs and I am in the dormitory on the first floor. So far, I have the whole dormitory to myself. This hostel is just off the official route, so I wonder if many others will come. We’ll have to wait and see.

I hope to arrive in Burgos tomorrow. Hopefully, my wheelchair part will also arrive here tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. It has been sent, but unfortunately I cannot yet see when it will arrive (the estimate was 3 to 4 working days from Tuesday). Otherwise, I will unfortunately have to stay there longer. Because I am looking forward to being able to repair the on/off switch and use it again. (For those who missed it, my wheelchair broke down a few days ago, but I was able to repair it temporarily).

If you haven’t done so yet, you can subscribe to my newsletter on the homepage, and you will be notified when I post something new.

Rolstoelpelgrim

Pilgrimage Day 8, Santovenia – Burgos

april 10, 2025 by rolstoelpelgrim

No other pilgrims arrived at the hostel last night. Around 6 p.m., the owner closed up and I was there alone. It was quite nice to have the place to myself. So no snoring people tonight and no people leaving at 4 a.m.

I left a little after 8 a.m. Today I followed the cycle route. It was a beautiful route with only one steep climb (up to 15%, but only 700 metres long); the rest was relatively flat. I saw and heard many birds along the way. In any case, I see a lot of birds here that I don’t think I normally have in my back garden in the Netherlands (I don’t have many birds in my garden anyway, mainly a magpie that always sits on the fence and then flies to the door handle and back again! Other than that, unfortunately, there are few birds in my garden). Now I just need to figure out what birds they are, but unfortunately, they don’t all stay in front of my lens. Today was mainly agricultural land. Lots of grain (I don’t know what kind, it looks like 10 cm tall grass now). Again today, there were lots of trees in bloom. In any case, more and more is blooming. There are still some bare trees, but slowly everything is coming back to life. In that respect, this is a very nice time to be out and about, enjoying nature every day.

As for the roads, I cycled along quiet roads and even some cycle paths. So that was really nice. Especially after the past few days with busier roads.

Last night, I received a message that the parcel with the wheelchair part I had been eagerly awaiting would arrive in Burgos today. And so did I, so that’s perfect. That’s why I drove past the campsite first to go to the collection point. And now I finally have it! I kept the parcel closed because I don’t want to repair it at the campsite. I’m afraid of losing a part in the grass or something. I’ll do it somewhere in a hostel or other safe place.

After briefly cycling through the centre of Burgos and viewing the cathedral from the outside, I proceeded to the campsite. I set up my tent and am now recharging everything. I plan to retire early tonight as I intend to be at the cathedral at 9 a.m. tomorrow morning for mass. That means departing the campsite at 8 a.m.

Wheelchairpilgrim

Pilgrimage day 9, Burgos – Cavia

april 11, 2025 by rolstoelpelgrim

Because I wanted to be at church at 9 o’clock, I left at exactly 8 o’clock, but when I sat down in my wheelchair, I noticed that my right tyre was flat. Not a good moment, because I was in a hurry. I pumped up the tyre first, hoping it would stay full, and rolled to church. It stayed full until I got there, but halfway through the service I noticed it had gone flat again. Fortunately, it had held up for the first part, so I was able to attend the Eucharist. After the service, a blue sister (officially called Servants of the Lord and the Virgin of Materá, SSVM. Some of my followers will be familiar with these sisters, who also have a convent in The Hague, and I also know a number of Dutch sisters and their families) stamped my pilgrim’s passport. After the celebration, I replaced my inner tube just outside the church. I practised changing tyres a lot last year, so it was quite easy this time. Hopefully, this will be the only tyre I need to replace this year.

Because I had used up an inner tube and still wanted to keep my supply of tyres up to date, I decided to continue my journey via Decathlon, which was fortunately only about 2 km from my route. But all in all, this meant that I didn’t leave Burgos until after noon.

It was a pleasant ride, my tyre stayed hard so I could roll along nicely on quiet roads. I rolled past several small villages where, unfortunately, all the churches were closed. However, there was a stork’s nest on every church tower. I also saw many birds of prey in the distance.

The ride was slightly hilly, but at an altitude of between 800 and 950 metres, so it is higher than it looks and feels on this large plateau.

Now I’m at the campsite in Cavia, which I think is a nice name for the town (Cavia is Dutch for guinea pig). The weather has been great all day, but just as I finished pitching my tent, it started to drizzle, and now it’s really raining. Now I’m lying comfortably in my tent, listening to the raindrops on the tent fabric while I write this blog. My battery is in the toilet block and I don’t have to worry about anyone touching it because there’s no one else here. I have the whole campsite to myself. There is a restaurant, though. When I checked in, I was given a bottle of water because, although it seems to be safe to drink, she said it doesn’t taste very good. So that’s a good solution.

I’ll go to bed early again tonight and then continue tomorrow.

Wheelchairpilgrim

Pilgrimage day 10, Cavia – Castrojeriz

april 12, 2025 by rolstoelpelgrim

Last night I wrote that it was raining, which continued for most of the night, but when I woke up it was dry, thankfully. And it stayed that way. Despite the campsite being located between a motorway and two railway lines, with freight trains thundering past all night, I slept well. I left the campsite just after 8 a.m. and first had to cycle about 3 kilometres along a sandy road. I had already cycled part of that road to the campsite yesterday, so I knew I had to go back and even further along that path. It was reasonably passable, but because of the rain, I had to zigzag around the (sometimes very) deep puddles. Even though it wasn’t raining, I had put on my rain gear and closed work gloves instead of my leather fingerless gloves, which was a good thing, because at the end of the path I was completely covered in clay-like mud.

Once I was back on a normal asphalt road and the sun came out, it luckily dried up and I was able to get rid of the worst of the mud. In the afternoon, I took off my rain suit and went back to riding with my normal gloves.

Today started with two periods of climbing, but fortunately they weren’t too difficult. After that, it was downhill and mainly (relatively) flat. Lots of agriculture. Also lots of different birds, and I regularly saw rabbits jumping around. Except for that first stretch of sandy path, the roads were lovely with little traffic.

Unfortunately, another flat tyre, punctured in the same place as yesterday. Luckily, I found the cause: a sharp spoke. Luckily, yesterday at Decathlon I bought not only inner tubes but also special tape for the rim. I’ve stuck that on now and hopefully the tyres will stay intact. I cycled past the ruins of an old monastery church, but unfortunately it was closed. I had hoped to spend the night there because it’s also a hostel. But unfortunately, that didn’t work out. I couldn’t find out online whether or not they were open. So I ended up continuing on and ended up at an inn in Castrojeriz. Just before I arrived at the inn, there was a short shower, but fortunately it stayed dry today. As I write this, there is a huge shower and thunderstorm.

Early this morning, I was informed that I am featured in today’s newspaper! Last week, I had an enjoyable telephone interview, and now here is the result. In the Algemeen Dagblad van het Groene Hart newspaper. You can read it here.

My wheelchair is charging again now, which is much needed after more than 30 kilometres. I’m going to recharge myself too, on my bed. A good night’s sleep and then we’ll continue tomorrow.

Wheelchairpilgrim

Pilgrimage, Day 11, Castrojeriz – Frómista

april 13, 2025 by rolstoelpelgrim

At 4 a.m., the first alarm clock went off in the dormitory. I tried to sleep until 6 a.m., but then it was time for me to pack up. In the first village I passed through, I looked at the church. I hoped to find a church service somewhere on Palm Sunday, because where I was staying, it didn’t start until 1 p.m., and I couldn’t wait that long. The church was closed, but there was a note on the door with the times and locations of services in the region. I read that there would be a service at 11:30 a.m. about 6 km away, just off my route in Itero del Castillo. That worked out well, so I rolled on over there. I had made good time and arrived much too early. The church looked as if it had never been used. There were weeds in front of the door and the “wheelchair accessible route” was so overgrown (with weeds up to a metre high) that I wondered if there would be a service at all. Especially after a passer-by in the village said that services are only ever held on Saturdays. Fortunately, at 11:20 (10 minutes before the service), someone arrived with the key, followed immediately by a priest and two older teenage boys who were altar boys. The two boys helped me get my chair over the high threshold, and then I was inside the church. In the end, there were fewer than ten of us (including myself, the priest, the altar boys, and very few villagers). The celebration began with the story of Palm Sunday, a mini procession from outside to inside with “palm leaves” (in the Netherlands, boxwood is used for this, but here I was given a branch from a pine tree). Then the celebration began. Afterwards, the boys helped me outside again and I continued on my way.

I cycled on relatively flat terrain all day, passing vast fields of grain and crops that I cannot yet recognise because they are too small. I see many birds flying and hear them singing. Apart from the birds and the wind, it is quiet. There are hardly any cars on the roads I am riding on; if I see two per hour, that’s about it. I do enjoy rolling through the countryside in such tranquillity. I drove past a canal with a number of locks. Nos. 17, 18, 19 and 20, which are located one after the other. I read that they are no longer in use, but it was nice to see them.

When I arrived in Frómista, I went to an inn. Unfortunately, it was full because two other inns here are closed. Fortunately, there was another one that was open. On the way there, I saw that the church here was open, so I took a look inside. It’s not often that churches are open here. Then I went to the inn, where fortunately there was room.

Just ate some stale bread with tasty blue cheese and some fruit in the garden of the inn, and now I’m back in bed writing. This time in a room with three bunk beds. Fortunately, today was a day without any major problems, no flat tyres or anything like that. And even the weather stayed good; despite the forecast rain, I didn’t feel a single drop. Tomorrow I’ll continue, but first I’ll rest and go to bed early.

Wheelchairpilgrim

Pilgrimage Day 12, Frómista – Carrión de los Condes

april 14, 2025 by rolstoelpelgrim

After a long night, I set off again around 8 o’clock this morning. First, I stopped at St. Martinus Church to take some photos of the statues on the outside of the church. Then I looked up the route.

All day long, I rolled alongside the walking pilgrims. I was on the road and they were on an unpaved path next to it. I usually roll a little faster than most walkers, so I overtake everyone and see a lot of people. I also spoke to several pilgrims along the way. I had many nice conversations. But on the other hand, I also noticed that I found it harder to find peace today.

In the village of Villacázar de Sirga stood an impressive Cluniac-style church. Those medieval brothers of Cluny (where I will be in 2020/2021) spread their architectural style far and wide. Over the years, I have come across many of their monasteries and churches along the way.

I am already at my sleeping place in Carrión de los Condes. The next stop is almost 20 km further, so the choice was between a shorter day (20 km) or a longer day (40 km). I opted for the shorter one, but there is still plenty to do here at the hostel. It is a hostel that is normally run by Augustinian nuns, but because of Holy Week, they were allowed to visit their families for a week. Now there are other managers. I happened to meet one of them on the road about 3 km before arriving at the hostel. That was handy because he was able to tell me about the accessibility.

At 6 p.m., everyone gathers here and is told something about this place. At 7 p.m., there is mass in the church next door, and at 8.30 p.m., there is a meal. Instead of paying for it, they ask everyone who eats with them to buy an ingredient. I have been asked to provide four tomatoes. I think this is a nice idea. I will let you know tomorrow how everything went. Now I am going to lie down on my bed and rest so that I can enjoy the evening. Because I am sure I will not go to bed early now that dinner is so late.

Wheelchairpilgrim

Pilgrimage Day 13, Carrión de los Condes – Sahagún

april 15, 2025 by rolstoelpelgrim

Yesterday afternoon, I wrote my blog early, but the evening was very special. That’s why I’ll start there. After doing some shopping in the afternoon, I first took a rest.

At 6 p.m., we started with a nice group conversation in which we got to know each other and discussed our pilgrimage. Then it was time to go to church. In the church, I saw a group of people sitting in rather striking clothing, so I expected something special to happen. And it did. After the service, a procession began. It was very impressive. A large band, lots of people in special costumes and a group of people carrying a huge cross on their shoulders. Many balconies in the streets were decorated with cloths bearing Christian images.

It was very special to experience this. And there is a good chance of more processions this week. So I am curious.

One of my followers sent me a link with a map showing where and when church services are on the route, so I hope to make good use of that this week.

During the procession, I spoke at length with the group of hospitaleros (managers of a pilgrim hostel), and they even gave me an Augustinian cross (which they themselves wear as employees of an Augustinian hostel).

Afterwards, we were served a delicious meal, which was very enjoyable, and then it was time to go to bed. Just before I went to bed, I was also invited to have breakfast with the hospitaleros. After that, I had a wonderful night’s sleep.

In the morning, I packed everything up again, loaded it onto my wheelchair, and had breakfast with the hospitaleros. It was delicious, with bread, oranges, strawberries, cake, and Spanish biscuits. At 9 o’clock, it was time to leave. Fortunately, today was also fairly flat, which was good because I wanted to cover a considerable distance.

I rolled through a landscape of green cornfields and yellow fields of rapeseed. More and more leaves are appearing on the trees and everything is turning green. Again, there were lots of birds, both small ones and large birds of prey and storks. It was very cold, especially the wind, which was icy. I put on my rain suit to keep the wind out. Even my heavy leather hat kept blowing off. In the end, I tied it under my chin with the strap. Around noon, the temperature improved slightly, but it was still cold and windy. The sky was blue with clouds. A beautiful sight. And apart from two drops, it stayed dry.

After 28 kilometres, I was almost at the first option for sleeping. There, I decided to roll on a bit further because I still felt good and it was still early. Eventually, I went to a place to sleep at 44 kilometres. The last few kilometres, I was glad I was almost there. I am now sleeping in a hostel run by Marianists. I have stayed there before, but that was in northern France in 2019.

At 6 p.m., I had another group conversation at the hostel. It was nice to hear what other pilgrims are doing and why they set out on their journey. After that, there was a church service with a pilgrim’s blessing, and we had another communal meal. Here, as at the previous place, you bring something to eat and they make a meal out of it. I didn’t have time (or energy) to go shopping, but I still had two mandarins and a tomato, so that was my contribution today. We just had a very pleasant meal, pasta and lots of side dishes.

And now I’m going to get some sleep as soon as possible.

Tomorrow is another day.

Wheelchairpilgrim

Pilgrimage Day 14, Sahagún – El Burgo Ranero

april 16, 2025 by rolstoelpelgrim

Slept well last night. Packed up in the morning, had breakfast at the inn and then left. The day started with blue skies, but it soon turned grey. Fortunately, I had rolled far yesterday, so my distance for today was quite short. It was freezing cold. When I left, it was 0°C and later it reached a maximum of around 5°C. On top of that, there was an icy wind. About an hour and a half before I arrived at my destination, it started to rain, with occasional wet snow.

I was riding on a quiet asphalt road with a footpath next to it, so I regularly saw other pilgrims. Just before the rain started, I got talking to two pilgrims, from California and Argentina (the whole world walks here; besides Europeans, I also met many people from various countries in North/Central/South America, South Africa and various Asian countries, especially South Korea and Japan, which are well represented). and by talking about our pilgrimage, we helped each other through the cold.

I didn’t pay much attention to nature along the way, as I was mainly focused on keeping myself warm. I had put on pretty much all my clothes and it was still cold.

I passed a small hermit’s church (I don’t think it’s in use anymore). These kinds of places are common here. Unfortunately, they have all been closed so far.

Fortunately, I arrived at the inn around noon. Actually, it was an hour before it opened, but luckily they didn’t make me wait; there were already a few other people inside. So I was able to check in. Downstairs (I’m sleeping upstairs again) there is a wood-burning stove where I warmed myself up while waiting to register. Now I’m lying in my sleeping bag on the bed, but I’m still not really warm. Once I’ve finished writing this blog, I’m going to fill my steel bottle with hot water to use as a hot water bottle and make a cup of hot chocolate. I still have a bag of instant hot chocolate. Maybe that will warm me up.

The topic of conversation among the pilgrims here is also the cold and snow. A friendly American has just done some shopping for me, so I don’t have to go outside today. Tomorrow is expected to be cold again, but it looks like it will be dry.

Wheelchairpilgrim

Pilgrimage Day 13, Carrión de los Condes – Sahagún

april 15, 2025 by rolstoelpelgrim

Yesterday afternoon, I wrote my blog early, but the evening was very special. That’s why I’ll start there. After doing some shopping in the afternoon, I first took a rest.

It was very special to experience this. And there is a good chance of more processions this week. So I am curious.

One of my followers sent me a link with a map showing where and when church services are on the route, so I hope to make good use of that this week.

Afterward, we enjoyed a delicious meal, which was very enjoyable. Then it was time to go to bed. Just before I went to bed, I was invited to breakfast with the hospitaleros. I had a wonderful night’s sleep afterward.

In the morning, I packed everything up again and loaded it into my wheelchair, and then had breakfast with the hospitaleros. It was delicious with bread, orange, strawberries, cake, and Spanish cookies. At 9:00 a.m., it was time to leave. Fortunately, the weather was relatively flat again today, which was perfect because I wanted to cover a considerable distance.

I rolled through a landscape of green cornfields and yellow rapeseed fields. More and more leaves are appearing on the trees, and everything is turning green. Lots of birds again, both young ones and large raptors and storks. It was very cold, though, and the wind was especially icy. I put on my raincoat to keep the wind out. Even my heavy leather hat kept blowing off. I finally tied it under my chin with the strap. Towards noon, the temperature improved slightly, but it was still cold and windy. The sky was blue with clouds. A beautiful sight. And apart from two drops, it stayed dry.

After 28 kilometers, I was almost at my first option: sleep. There, I decided to roll a bit further because I still felt good and it was still early. Finally, I went to a place to sleep at 44 km. For the last few kilometers, I was glad to be almost there. I’m now sleeping in a Marianist inn. I’ve stayed at Marianists before, but back in northern France in 2019.

At 6:00 PM, I had another group discussion at the hostel. It was nice to hear what other pilgrims are doing and why they’ve set out on this journey. Afterward, there was a church service with a pilgrim blessing, and we’re having a communal meal here again. Like at the previous location, you give them some food, which they then use to make a meal. I didn’t have the time (or energy) to go grocery shopping, but I still had two tangerines and a tomato, so that was my contribution today. We just had a lovely meal: pasta and lots of side dishes.

And now I’m going to sleep as soon as possible.

Tomorrow is another day.

Wheelchairpilgrim

Pilgrimage Day 14, Sahagún – El Burgo Ranero

april 16, 2025 door rolstoelpelgrim

Slept well last night. Packed in the morning and had breakfast at the inn, then left. The day started with a blue sky, but it quickly turned gray. Luckily, I’d rolled a long way yesterday, so my distance for today was quite short. It was icy cold. When I left, it was 0°C (32°F), and later it reached a maximum of around 5°C (41°F). On top of that, there was a windy, icy wind. About an hour and a half before I arrived at my destination, it started raining, with occasional sleet.

I was driving on a quiet asphalt road next to the hiking trail, so I regularly saw other pilgrims. Just before the rain shower, I struck up a conversation with two pilgrims, one from California and one from Argentina (the whole world walks here; besides Europeans, I’ve also met many people from various countries in North, Central, and South America, South Africa, and several Asian countries, with South Korea and Japan being particularly well represented), and by talking about our pilgrimage, we helped each other through the cold.

I didn’t really notice nature along the way; I was mainly trying to keep warm. I’d put on almost all my clothes, and it was still cold.

I passed a small hermit’s church (I don’t think it’s in use anymore). Places like this are common here. Unfortunately, they’ve always been closed so far.

Luckily, I arrived at the hostel around noon. Actually, an hour before it opened, but thankfully they didn’t keep me waiting; a few others were already inside. So I was able to check in. Downstairs (I’m sleeping upstairs again) is a wood-burning stove where I thawed out while waiting for check-in. Now I’m lying in my sleeping bag on the bed, but I’m still not really warm. As soon as I’m done writing this blog post, I’ll fill my steel bottle with hot water and make a cup of hot chocolate. I still have a sachet of instant chocolate milk. Maybe that’ll warm me up.

The talk of the town among the pilgrims here is also the cold and snow. A friendly American just did some shopping for me, so I don’t have to go out anymore today. Tomorrow is forecast to be cold again, but it looks like it will be dry.

Wheelchairpilgrim

Pilgrimage Day 15, El Burgo Ranero -Mansilla de las Mulas

april 17, 2025 by rolstoelpelgrim

After a long, restful night’s sleep, it was time to leave again. Just before 8 a.m., I set off. I rolled quite hard because it was cold again, and I hoped to warm up a bit this way. It was around freezing, and the plants on the verges still had a layer of ice. Fortunately, there wasn’t as much wind as yesterday, and the sun was shining. During the first half of my route, I overtook many pilgrims. I briefly spoke to a Belgian man who had also slept in my dormitory the night before, and then I continued on. After a while, I had passed everyone, and the road became quiet. That was nice, because because no one had passed by yet and it was so peaceful, I saw lots of birds again and even a fox crossing the road! And luckily, I had my camera within reach, so I was able to capture it! There were hardly any cars on this road, so it was a pleasant and peaceful journey.

By 11 a.m., I had already rolled almost 20 km and arrived at my final destination. The inn didn’t open until 1:00 PM, so I had to wait a bit. First, I did some shopping. On the way, I came across a chapel/hermitage that was actually open, and I briefly peeked inside (my wheelchair couldn’t get in, and I don’t dare leave it unattended for long). Then I went to the churches in the city center to see which one was having the Holy Thursday Mass and procession tonight. It wasn’t hard to find, as there were already signs everywhere indicating that the road would be closed for certain times due to the procession. In the church, I read that Mass starts at 6:30 PM, followed by the procession. I also got a stamp. So I’m going there tonight, and you can expect a report tomorrow! Now I’m lying in bed at the inn. The Belgian and several other well-known pilgrims have also arrived here.

Even though it wasn’t a long day, I’m very tired and have a bit of a cold. So, I need to get some good rest so I can hit the road again tonight.

Rolstoelpelgrim

Pilgrimage Day 16, Mansilla de las Mulas – Leon

april 18, 2025 by rolstoelpelgrim

Yesterday I wrote that I would be attending a church service and procession, and here’s my report. It was even grander than last Monday.

First, there was the usual Maundy Thursday service, followed by the impressive procession. As I left the church, everyone was getting ready. There were various groups of people wearing different clothes and colors (mainly black, red, and purple). Many groups wore clothes and pointed hats that reminded me of the Ku Klux Klan. But on Wikipedia, I found that Spanish Catholics were the first to wear this attire.

The various groups carried various statues on stretchers through the city, moving slowly to the rhythm of the mournful music played by a large brass band and drums. After watching everything pass by at the beginning of the procession, I was standing in front of the church, going against the flow of the procession until the group passed by again. Then it was time for me to go back to the inn. I had another good night’s sleep there.

This morning I set out again. Instead of the official cycling route, I followed a different, shorter option that partially paralleled the walking pilgrims. Only I was rolling on asphalt, while they were walking on the sand next to the road. Their route also deviated from my main route a few times. It was a rather boring route of about 20km. Luckily, I’d already done my grocery shopping yesterday, because today almost all the shops are closed. Only bars and a few small shops in the town center are open, but the regular supermarkets are closed.

I’m currently in Leon, staying at an inn near a monastery. There’s a church around the corner where services are being held today at 3:30 and 7:00 PM. The procession will depart from the monastery after the last service. I’ll write about that tomorrow.

Wheelchairpilgrim

Pilgrimage Day 17, Leon – Hospital de Órbigo,

april 19, 2025 by rolstoelpelgrim

Yesterday afternoon, after writing my previous blog post, I went into town. First to the cathedral. There was an entrance fee, and in principle, I don’t go to churches where I have to pay. A church isn’t a museum for me, and paying for one goes against my principles. When I went in to get a stamp, I saw that there’s no entrance fee for people with disabilities, so I decided to take a look inside anyway. It’s a beautiful cathedral. I didn’t have much time, so after a tour of the church, I moved on. I also passed all sorts of shops where the windows clearly show how important the processions are here.

The church service began in the church near the convent. It was a beautiful Good Friday celebration with the religious sisters singing beautifully.

After the service, I briefly went back to my room, but after half an hour I had to leave again to watch the procession. But then something went wrong… I rolled across a cobblestone square to get to a good spot, but what I hadn’t noticed was that amidst all those bumpy stones was all sorts of broken glass, until I felt I had (another) flat tire. I left the square as quickly as possible. I found a spot opposite the monastery. As the procession started, I found a spare tire (my last one) and changed it. What a hassle… luckily, when the procession began, I was able to sit in a full chair again. This procession was also impressive. Although I wasn’t in an ideal spot. It was enormous and very crowded, making finding another spot impossible. Especially since I didn’t want to roll across that one square with glass again. But despite that, it was a good evening. Again, with lots of pointed hats and a very large stretcher with statues. Finally, I went back to my sleeping place and had a good night’s sleep. In the morning, I packed again, loaded everything onto my wheelchair, and then left. While packing, I watched them tidy up everything from yesterday’s procession. It was interesting to see how Mary was lifted from the stretcher into a van (it was a Fiat, which Mary had before she gave it to God 😉) and everything was disassembled and dismantled.

When I rolled away, it was unfortunately not directly to my route but to Decathlon, which as far as I could find was the only bike shop open on this Saturday. I needed new inner tubes again; the two I’d bought are unfortunately already used/punctured. Hopefully, I won’t have to use my supply of new inner tubes for a while. I also forgot to bring a pair of pliers for my tool bag, so I picked them up at the hardware store next to Decathlon, as well as new work gloves (my old ones were starting to wear out). So, I’m all set for the time being.

Once I got going, I first had a short but steep climb, and then a section that went slowly uphill. Halfway up, it was mostly downhill, but the elevation gain is minimal. I’m on a plateau here, and although relatively flat, the elevation is always between 800 and 900 meters. That’s why it’s colder here than elsewhere, even though this part of Spain (northwest) is colder and wetter than the rest of Spain anyway. I drove most of today on the N120. It was quite a busy road at first, but thankfully it gradually became quieter. Today I read on a sign that it’s only 300km to Santiago (even less now), so it’s getting closer now.

The day started with perfect weather, but halfway through the day it started to drizzle occasionally, but later it turned into hail and freezing rain, and the wind picked up—an icy wind!

Around 5:00 PM I finally arrived at my destination, the parish hostel in Hospital de Órbigo. A beautiful old building.

There’s another church service tonight at 9 p.m. (Easter Vigil). More about that tomorrow. Until then, I’ll get some rest and hopefully have a good night’s sleep after church. After about 40 km of rolling, I’m ready for that.

Wheelchairpilgrim

Pilgrimage day 18, Hospital de Órbigo – Astorga – Murias de Rechivaldo

april 20, 2025 by rolstoelpelgrim

Last night I went to the Easter Vigil at Hospital de Órbigo. It was a beautiful service where the priest lit the Paschal candle outside, and everyone received a candle to light from it. Afterward, we went inside behind the priest into the dark church where the light was turned on, symbolizing the light of Easter. The rest of the service followed. It was already after 10:00 PM when I got back to the hostel. I’d heard that there would be a service in Astorga (16km away) at noon on Easter that was worth attending, so I went there. It turned out to be a shorter night than usual, as I really wanted to leave at 8:00 AM, so I got up at 6:00 AM. Despite driving on the N120 again, it was a beautiful drive. There were more trees, conifers, and frequent olive groves. But most of all, I enjoyed the magnificent snow-capped mountains in the distance. A magnificent sight! (If you zoom in on the photo you can hopefully see it, it’s not just clouds).

At 11:30, I arrived in Astorga, so I drove straight to the cathedral. I quickly found a very nice spot at the front of the crowded cathedral. I had missed the procession before the service (I only learned about it later), but a stretcher bearing a resurrected Jesus entered the church, again carried by people in finery, but thankfully without pointed hats! It was placed at the front. Then the service began with the bishop. After the service, the bishop came over to shake my hand and ask where I was from and if I was a pilgrim. So, we had a quick chat, and I also gave him my business card (which I hand out a lot along the way).

Afterward, everyone went outside for the procession. It was interesting to see: one carrying Jesus and the other Mary, both walking in separate processions (with musicians, a standard-bearer, etc.), and occasionally they met for a song.

Besides the beautiful cathedral, there’s also a bishop’s palace by Gaudí. Interesting to see.

After that, I left the city. I had initially planned to stay there, but I found it too crowded and, having seen that the cheap hostel was extremely inaccessible (huge steps in front of the door), decided to go to a hostel in a village 5km away. A good choice. I’m staying there with a Hungarian woman, and the manager is incredibly helpful. I have a spacious dormitory where my wheelchair fits next to my bed.

I also finally had the time and space to repair my wheelchair with the part I picked up in Burgos (it was shipped from the Netherlands). It wasn’t very complicated, and I’m glad the button works again! That saves me the hassle of inserting and removing batteries.

After the renovations, the floor here was dirty, but when I tried to clean it up, the manager immediately took over. I wasn’t allowed to help, and he even gave me a cup of tea!

I’m going to bed soon; I’ll continue tomorrow.

Wheelchairpilgrim

Pilgrimage Day 19, Murias de Rechivaldo – Rabanal del Camino

april 21, 2025 by rolstoelpelgrim

Last night I was at the inn with a Hungarian woman; no one else came, so we had a quiet night. It was quite cold at first, but in the evening they lit a pallet stove. It was lovely to see the fire burning from bed, and the temperature also improved. So, we had a good night. In the morning, we had breakfast: yogurt, bread with jam, and a cup of tea (coffee was also available, but that’s not my cup of tea). At 8 a.m. I set off. All day, I climbed a bit, between 1% and 5%.

On the way, I met a Dutch family on their bikes. They invited me to have tea there. Wonderful, considering the cold and occasional rain. Luckily, it was dry at that moment. We talked briefly about our travels and enjoyed hot tea and some treats. Then I received a phone call from my son, telling me that Pope Francis had passed away. Although he was old and ill, it was still unexpected. You’ll notice this is a hot topic of conversation among the pilgrims today, especially if you’ve already heard of his passing. Many people here don’t follow the news much, so it’s easy to miss something. But the pilgrim tom-tom does a good job when something big happens.

After tea, we said goodbye, and I continued my journey. I enjoyed the ride, with beautiful scenery and more trees/forest than last week. Lovely plants and flowers along the roadside. Unfortunately, it wasn’t very clear, so I couldn’t see many of the mountains, but I briefly had a glimpse of the snow-capped peak, and then it disappeared again. The drizzle was less pleasant. But luckily, my belongings and I were well-packed in waterproof clothing. A few days ago, I’d bought new work gloves for the walk, and they came in handy because they’re waterproof and keep my wet rubber handrims gripped, even in the rain, and my hands dry. I also brought other waterproof gloves, but they were too warm/thick for today and don’t grip as well in rain. So I have multiple gloves for different weather conditions. Luckily, they don’t take up much space.

I’d actually planned to roll a village further so I wouldn’t have to climb as much tomorrow (after this village, there’s a steep climb to about 1500 meters), but because my first battery was already dead, I didn’t dare tackle that climb. So I decided to stay in Rabanal del Camino. Here I met the Belgian again. There’s a group of pilgrims I regularly encounter, either on the road or at the inn.

Now I’m at the inn. They have tea time at 5:00 PM, and there’s another church service this evening. There’s also a Benedictine monastery here. Last week, with all the celebrations and processions, was very enjoyable and impressive, but also very tiring. Especially because I had to roll certain distances to reach certain churches. I’m very happy that my plan worked out and I was able to experience everything. But I’m glad that from now on I can be a bit more flexible and roll as long or as short as I want, and that I can listen to my body a bit more.

My laundry is hanging on the clothesline (I washed it last night, but in this weather it’s not drying, it’s even getting wetter). I’ve written my blog post, so now I’m going to rest for a bit. More tomorrow.

Wheelchairpilgrim

Pilgrimage day 20, Rabanal del camino- Acebo de San Miguel

april 22, 2025 by rolstoelpelgrim

Yesterday afternoon we had tea at the inn, which was very pleasant. In the evening, I went to evening prayer and the closing ceremony (Vespers and Compline) in the church across from the inn. The Benedictine monks sang Gregorian chant, which was beautiful. Afterward, I thankfully fell asleep despite my terrible mattress. In the morning, after breakfast, I left.

Although the first part was quite challenging due to a climb, it was a truly beautiful ride. I enjoyed the view of the snow-capped mountains. I also enjoyed all the flowers and plants I saw. The roadsides were covered in purple-flowered shrubs, resembling heather bushes, but taller.

Last night, I cleared my phone’s memory by transferring photos to a hard drive, which was a good thing because I took a ton of pictures today. After about 5km, the first battery was already dead, so I put in a new one. To be sure I’d make it through the day, I immediately connected the dead battery to the power station so it could charge. After nearly getting stranded in the Pyrenees last year, I decided to take this with me so I wouldn’t run out of power again. With the power station, I can charge one wheelchair battery about ¾ full, and when the sun is shining, even a little more with solar power. Luckily, I only managed to get by with two batteries, so it wasn’t necessary, but it did provide some peace of mind.

After another 2km of climbing, I arrived at Cruz de Ferro, an iron cross that’s a key landmark on this trip. It’s a place where many people leave a stone they brought from home as a symbol of something they want to leave behind on their journey. There, I took some time to rest and eat something. I also spoke to two Dutch people.

After Cruz de Ferro, the terrain flattened out for a bit, followed by another steep climb where I even had to roll backwards for a bit (to avoid tipping over). At that highest point (over 1500 meters high), there was still snow scattered on the side of the road. Fortunately, it wasn’t cold, but the sun was shining brightly. After all that climbing came a steep descent. But there, at the highest point, was a stunning view of the valley and countless mountains. Almost all around, there were snow-capped peaks!

Halfway down, I came across a village, and I decided I’d had enough. I’m now at the inn. Although the distance wasn’t very far, I found it physically demanding today, but the view was magnificent, making it a very good day. I’m now sitting in the inn’s garden, enjoying the sunshine, writing this. I have no plans for tonight, so I’m going to bed early. The innkeeper warned me upon arrival that they had no heating, but with my warm sleeping bag and perhaps a bottle of hot water, I stayed warm.

I just got a call from Omroep West. There will likely be a short interview with me on both TV and radio on Friday. I’ll keep you updated on how and when it will be broadcast.

See you tomorrow!

Wheelchairpilgrim

Pilgrimage day 21, Acebo de San Miguel – Cacabelos

april 23, 2025 by rolstoelpelgrim

Slept pretty well last night. Initially, I had some leg/foot pain from climbing the stairs, but after taking an extra painkiller, I fell asleep pretty quickly. I packed up pretty quickly in the morning. Around 7:30, I rolled out of the hostel.

The ride started with a long, steep descent. Last night, I’d charged my batteries as usual, but in hindsight, I shouldn’t have. My batteries recharge during descents, which kept my wheels from malfunctioning. I finally tried to drain the battery by rolling uphill, but this cost me more energy than the battery itself. So, after some hesitation, I finally decided to descend without the motor. The downside is that I don’t get any braking assistance from the motor, which normally keeps me from rolling faster than about 8 to 9 kilometers per hour. This time, I had to brake myself with the (non-electrically assisted) handrims and the handbrake on my front wheel. This made the descent more exciting and a bit faster, but I still rolled down the mountain at about 10 to 12 km per hour.

Along the way, there was a beautiful view of the valley, and all sorts of beautiful plants and flowers grew against the rock face. Especially lots of broom, lavender, and a flower that Google told me was Cistus Ladanifer.

After the long descent, it became almost flat (so I could start the engine again!), and I arrived in Ponferada. I had planned to spend the night there, but it was still before noon. After admiring the beautiful and large castle from the outside, visiting the basilica, and getting a stamp at the tourist information, I decided to move on.

Except for a few small climbs and descents, it was mostly flat. Along the way, I passed small villages where I could even peek inside the church. The door was open, but a table had been placed in front of it, preventing me from entering. There was a guest book and a stamp, so I filled it out and put the stamp in my pilgrim’s passport. It’s almost full again. Then I rolled along a quiet road lined with vegetable gardens and vineyards.

Now I’m in Cacabelos, staying in a hostel. I’m sharing a room with three other people. I haven’t seen one yet (I only know he/she has a blue sleeping bag), and the other two are a French couple. So I’ve had a chance to practice my French again.

I’m going to bed early tonight because I’m very tired. I’m on the road again tomorrow.

Wheelchairpilgrim

Pilgrimage day 22, Cacabelos- Las Herrerias

april 24, 2025 by rolstoelpelgrim

Despite having three roommates, I had a peaceful night’s sleep. I woke up just before my alarm. Then I slowly started packing, and around 8 a.m. I rolled out again.

Today was a day of climbing, sometimes quite steep and sometimes gently sloping, but it was almost constantly uphill. I rolled through beautiful old villages. There were many vineyards, and I also saw a huge wine press dating back to the 18th century. In Villafranca del Bierzo, I rolled past a massive castle.

Besides the beautiful things, I also notice that some things here are truly faded; I regularly see half-collapsed and neglected houses.

I really enjoyed nature again today. So many flowers. When I started three weeks ago, everything was still bare, and now the trees are green and everything is in bloom. The road was quiet, and I often drove along the side of the road in a protected area for pilgrims. I regularly rolled over small bridges with rushing streams beneath them.

There was hardly any agriculture at the time, apart from a few vegetable gardens. I did regularly see meadows with sheep and cows. The cows here have large horns on their heads. I think that’s a beautiful sight.

I also visited a small shop with local products where I bought a bag of aniseed cookies. Delicious! Outside, there was a sort of market stall with fruit, and I bought some tangerines there. The citrus fruit is very good here (no wonder, since it’s typically Spanish). Later, I also found a shop with bread, which I needed because I was almost out of it, and the little I had was very old and dry.

I’m trying to collect two stamps a day, but at first it wasn’t so easy. I only really need to do that for the last 100 kilometers, and I’m just under 200 km now, but I’m already aiming for it. I also enjoy collecting lots of stamps. Luckily, just before I got here, I found an open church with a stamp.

Now at the hostel. Another stamp here, two in fact, because one is in my full pilgrim’s passport and one is in my new one. My batteries are plugged in, because tomorrow is a very tough day, a very steep and long climb. Time to go to bed early, because my energy is also depleted after almost 30km of climbing.

Wheelchairpilgrim

Pilgrimage day 23, Las Herrerias – La Laguna

april 25, 2025 by rolstoelpelgrim

After starting my day this morning with fully charged batteries, things quickly became difficult. The average gradient today was 9%, but there were many sections that were much steeper. After about 1 kilometer, things went wrong. I had to roll backward (due to my balance, I can reverse steeper slopes) and suddenly I felt my front wheel release. It turned out the attachment had vibrated loose right under my wheelchair. Fortunately, I’ve solved this problem before, but the hardest part was having to remove all sorts of things attached to/under my wheelchair (including the battery bag) to get to them. That was a tedious task. But luckily, I managed! After more than half an hour, I was able to roll again.

The climb was incredibly difficult; my average speed today was 1 km per hour. Every meter of climbing was incredibly hard work. Meter by meter, I crawled upward. The batteries drained very quickly. After about 2.5 kilometers, the first one was already dead. I immediately connected it to the power station so it could charge. Then I rolled on my second battery. But it remained incredibly tough, for me, but also for my wheels, which regularly failed because it was too heavy. I could barely make it up and several times almost gave up and rolled back to the inn I’d started in the valley because it looked like I’d never reach the next village with an inn. That second battery also drained quickly; the first was now about three-quarters charged again, and the power station was dead, so I swapped batteries again—the last power I had. At the spots where I rested and/or swapped batteries, I was able to enjoy the flowers and sometimes small waterfalls. There were plenty of them. I struggled on after each break. I also rolled backwards for most of the day. The only advantage is that I get a nice view. But because of the effort it took to roll, I couldn’t really enjoy it. I took a few more photos, so if you see the view in today’s photos, you know I’m riding backwards… there were some significant sections of around 15%, with an average of 9%. Much steeper than the Somport Pass in the Pyrenees. I still had another 1.5 km to go when a group of German cyclists passed by. They kept going, but not much later the man came walking back and helped me cross this last stretch. Without his help pushing, I would never have made it. At the top, he even gave me some delicious orange juice. And we talked briefly about my journey. They, too, are on their way to Santiago. Then I asked for a bed at the inn. Luckily, there was still room. That’s necessary because I’m really out of energy. I’m in a lot of pain too; my arms have been working too hard. So, I’ll just take some extra painkillers after this day.

Just did a radio and TV interview for Omroep West. It was fun. I’d done radio before, but it was my first time on TV. So I’m another experience richer. I’ve added the links to the episodes to all the media reports.

I’ll have some easy food in a bit: a piece of bread, cheese (I just found my piece of goat cheese in my bag, somewhere I can’t remember putting it; it had been missing for two days. Luckily, it was vacuum-packed, so it was still perfectly fine!) and some fruit. And then a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow, another 2.5 km climb and I’ll be at the top.

Wheelchairpilgrim

Pilgrimage day 24, La Laguna – Triacastela

april 26, 2025 by rolstoelpelgrim

The day started with finishing yesterday’s climb. 2.5 kilometers uphill. Most of it was still quite manageable and mostly rolling forward, but a few sections, just before the summit, were so tough that I could barely make it up. The road surface was extremely worn asphalt with holes and loose stones didn’t help either. This time, a Korean man came to help, and later his friends did too. Very helpful. And that’s how I made it up this section too!

I found O Cebreiro to be a very beautiful town, with its unique round houses. Unfortunately, the church wasn’t open. Unfortunately, there was no view because the mountain was in the middle of a cloud, so it was foggy and damp. I briefly spoke with a man in a shop about my trip, and he took a picture. He gave me a pin with a Dutch flag and a flag with a scallop shell on it. I pinned it to the strap of my bag. I also got a stamp.

After O Cebreiro, the first stretch was a mix of descending and climbing, but it was all manageable. After the last climb, a long descent began. It was cold on the mountain. The first part of the ride was just as cold, but then I had to work hard on the climb. Because descending requires much less physical strength and I also caught more wind due to the speed, I got very cold. So I unpacked my winter coat (which was tied in front). But despite that, I still felt cold. Even when I’m very tired, I always get cold, so that doesn’t help. The descent went well. Further down the valley, there was a blue sky with clouds again. Although it remained chilly.

Unfortunately, I got another flat tire just before arriving in Triacastela, where I’m now staying in a hostel. Another puncture from a punctured spoke… I’ve taped it again, and hopefully, it won’t puncture again. This wheel continues to cause problems, despite everything. It rattles, as it did before I left, but it’s slowly getting worse. Hopefully it holds up a bit longer. Luckily, I still have extra inner tubes (three left), and I should hopefully be able to make it to Santiago with those.

Battery-wise, it was interesting today. Just after O Cebreiro, my first battery was flat, so I charged it along the way using my power station. On the second battery, two of the five lights had already gone out just before the descent. But halfway down, I got a message that the battery was overcharging. So I re-inserted the first battery, which was now also about 2/3 charged, and now at the hostel, it’s almost full too. So I only need to charge my power station, and the rest have already made it to the slope.

I first went to a hostel in Triacastela, which was full because they were expecting a large group, but the hostel manager pointed me to another one, a better one for me. So far, I have my own room here (four empty beds), on the ground floor, and my wheelchair can be placed right next to my bed. Just had a long shower, as there’s an adapted bathroom/toilet here. It’s nice to be able to shower sitting down, as although standing is possible if necessary, sitting down is much more comfortable.

Now I’m lying comfortably in bed. I’m very tired. Yesterday, someone asked me if it wasn’t time for a rest day, but I never do that. It throws me off my rhythm, and the next day is extra tough. A shorter or lighter day every now and then is better for my body. I don’t expect a particularly tough day tomorrow either, as I’ll be mostly rolling downhill then too. I’m really looking forward to that. And a good night’s sleep.

Rolstoelpelgrim

Pilgrimage day 25, Triacastela – Sarria

april 27, 2025 by rolstoelpelgrim

I fell asleep early last night, but around 9 PM someone from the hostel came to close the shutters on the windows. After that, I was awake for another hour or so, but luckily I slept through the night. I woke up around 6:15 AM, just before my alarm. So I had a good, long night. I really needed that sleep. No one else had come into my dorm, so it was a nice, quiet night.

This morning, after packing, I set off again. It was a day of short climbs and many descents. A beautiful, varied ride through an area of forests, meadows with cows, and beautiful rocks with waterfalls. Everything seemed to be going smoothly until about 5km before Sarria, when my left tire suddenly went flat… a puncture… for the first time on the left, as it had always been on the right. Luckily, I had a tire within reach, so it was replaced fairly quickly.

I quickly moved on, however, as this had delayed my schedule. I wanted to be at the church in Sarria by noon. The rest of the ride went well, although the final climb to the church was quite steep. But I made it. The church service had already begun. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get in with my wheelchair. Many pilgrims were waiting outside because they couldn’t get a stamp until after the service, and apparently, they preferred to wait outside rather than attend. This was an advantage for me, as the large number of pilgrims allowed me to park my wheelchair outside. By now, I’m a bit of a well-known pilgrim on the route (I often hear people say I’m on my way) and was hoping those waiting pilgrims would look after my wheelchair while I was in church. It was a bit nerve-wracking, but everything went well.

After church (and getting my pilgrim passport stamped), I spoke with a few pilgrims. One gave me grapes. Very helpful, as I’m out of fruit and the shops are closed (and I didn’t see any open shops yesterday either). Afterward, I went to an inn. On the way there, my battery beeped to indicate it was low, but it lasted until I reached my destination. This inn is behind a tourist shop full of pilgrim trinkets (lots of souvenirs with images of shells and arrows, but also beautiful wood carvings of, among others, St. James).

It’s still relatively quiet; at most, a quarter of the beds are occupied. I also meet some familiar pilgrims, two Argentinian cyclists whom I often meet on the road and in hostels. I have a ground-floor room where my wheelchair can be placed at the foot of my bed, and I saw an accessible toilet, but no seat in the shower, but that’s not a big problem. Everything is just a few meters from my bed, so that’s nice. The past few days have been (too) demanding of my body, and these kinds of things are especially welcome when I have to walk less. There’s also a garden behind the hostel. I’ve hung my laundry there in the sunshine. Hopefully, it will dry soon.

From now on, I have to get at least two stamps every day. Although it’s still just over 100km to Santiago, this city is considered the last 100km point, which is considered the minimum distance. Many people only start at this point. So, it’s going to be even busier from now on.

Now I’m resting in bed; I’ll try to sleep early tonight. Tomorrow is another day.

Wheelchairpilgrim

Pilgrimage day 26, Sarria – Portomarin

april 29, 2025 by rolstoelpelgrim

Last night (Sunday night, as I’m finally posting this Tuesday morning) I went to bed a bit later than expected, but for a good reason. The Argentinian cyclists invited me to dinner. They had cooked a rice meal. Delicious and cozy. Around 10 p.m., I was finally in bed and fell asleep quickly. This hostel actually reminded me a bit of a hospital; in the dormitory, there was a hospital privacy curtain between each bunk. It was nice to be somewhat shielded like that.

This morning I did a lot of grocery shopping. I was out of all the things I usually try to stock up on: granola bars, cheese, bread, fruit, and dark chocolate (it melts less quickly and provides quick energy after a climb). The landscape was beautiful, very diverse. Forest, but also areas with meadows and cows. Just before arriving, I saw a large body of water. At first, I thought it was a lake, but later I realized it was a very wide river. There was a fair amount of climbing, but also some descending. The climbs weren’t too difficult, thankfully, although they averaged around 5%. The last slope towards the city was the toughest, but even that was manageable. I also encountered some Argentinian cyclists along the way.

Luckily, no flat tires or other problems today, although I don’t trust my left wheel; it rattles and is unstable. I just hope it makes it through the 100km to Santiago. When I passed a restaurant halfway along the route, I got my stamp there; I just got the second stamp here at the hostel in Portomarin. I also have an adapted private room with a private shower/toilet for the regular dormitory price. Those are the advantages of a wheelchair, after all.

I’m writing this blog post Monday around 3:00 PM, but I have no idea when I’ll be able to send it. There’s a massive power outage in Spain, Portugal, and the South of France. I had internet access at first, and I found Dutch information about the outage there. I could also make phone calls, but while I’m writing this, that’s down too. The radio is on here, so Spanish speakers are staying informed about the outage. It’s handy that I have a power station with me, because I can at least charge everything (mobile, camera, and tablet), although I don’t have enough power to charge my wheelchair, but that will come after the outage. It’s also quite pleasant in the hostel; even though I’m lying tired in bed, I can hear a lot of cheerfulness and chatter outside my room (with the local radio in the background). If no one has electronics anymore, no internet, and can’t call home, that also gives me plenty to talk about.

10:00 PM, I suddenly have mobile internet again. I was already asleep but woke up to messages (I deliberately turned on the sound), but everything here is still dark, no power. And as quickly as the internet came on, it went away again. Normally, it’s quiet in the hostel at 10:00 PM, but now it’s still kind of restless. It’s also strange when I look out my bedroom window; everything is dark. I only see a bicycle light on outside, but no lights on the street at all, houses dark.

2:00 AM, the internet came back on. But no power. 6:00 AM, my alarm goes off. Still no power. I’ll be staying here today because my wheelchair batteries aren’t charged, and even if the power comes back on, it will take another 5 hours for everything to charge. The internet is working very minimally. It takes at least 5 minutes for me to load a website.

9:20 AM, the power is back on! The internet is still problematic and very slow. Calling isn’t working perfectly either. But there’s progress. My wheelchair battery is now connected, so I’m ready to leave tomorrow. I just spoke with someone from the hostel and thankfully, I’m allowed to stay an extra night.
I’ll let you know tonight how things went today. Assuming everything continues to work, that is.

Wheelchairpilgrim

Pilgrimage day 27, Portomarin, power outage over.

april 29, 2025 by rolstoelpelgrim

Just a quick blog post today. Although I didn’t do much today.

This morning, after the power was back on, I connected all my things and charged them. By noon, the internet was working normally again. I did some reading; luckily I had a few e-books with me, and looked at the route for the coming days. I also got two hours of sleep this afternoon.

This evening I drove a short loop through Portomarin, looked at the two churches, and attended mass. I received a stamp after the service, so even though I didn’t cycle more than 1 km, I still got two stamps today (one at the hostel when I registered for the second night and one at the church). I spoke to several people in and around the church. Some pilgrims I’d spoken to before and some new ones. Among them was a couple from Ireland and an Italian father with a son in a wheelchair who is currently traveling alone but would also like to do this journey with his son. He asked me which route to take and if the hostels were accessible. So I talked to him for a while about my experiences.

There are a huge number of new pilgrims now. When the hostel opened at 1 p.m., there was a huge line out the door. A week or so ago, I often felt like I knew most of the people on the pilgrimage by sight, but now so many new people have joined that this is no longer the case.

I’m back at the inn now, going to get a good night’s sleep. I’ll be on the road again tomorrow; that’s better than a mandatory rest day.

Wheelchairpilgrim

Pelgrimstocht dag 28, Portomarin -Palas de Rei

april 30, 2025 door rolstoelpelgrim

Na een goede nacht slaap ben ik weer vertrokken. Een flink deel van de dag geklommen, vooral de eerste helft van de dag. Maar gelukkig niet heel zwaar, vaak gemiddeld 4% en dat is goed te doen. Maar 1 kort stukje achteruit gerold maar dat ging om misschien 10 of 20 meter, dus dat was prima. De 2e helft was meer afdalen met af en toe nog kleine klimmetjes.

Het grootste deel van de tijd rolde ik naast de wandelpelgrims, wat veel drukte. Regelmatig gesprekjes gehad over mijn tocht. Er liepen in de grote groep veel soorten mensen. Allereerst van alle nationaliteiten, ik heb oa gesproken met mensen uit Ierland, Taiwan, Dubai, Amerika, Duitsland en Nederland. Verder mensen van oud tot jong, individuele pelgrims en grote groepen met tieners. Pelgrims die van ver komen en pelgrims die nu voor de 2e dag lopen, mensen die alles zelf tillen tot mensen met buideltasjes en dagrugzakjes. Door alle drukte vind ik het wel lastig om nog het gevoel van pelgrimeren te hebben terwijl ik in optocht met de rest me naar de volgende slaapplek begeef.

Ik vind het leuk om mensen te spreken en te vertellen over mijn reis maar dat is tegelijk ook mijn valkuil waardoor ik te veel klets en waardoor ik weinig rust vind. Ik mis de stilte en de rust, de tijd om te zingen en te bidden, tijd om mijn gedachten te ordenen, te luisteren naar de stilte, de wind en de vogels. Als ik nu even stop om bv een foto te nemen van een bloemetje vragen mensen direct of alles wel goed gaat. Lief bedoeld maar ik heb al meer dan 3000 km in mijn eentje gerold en wil soms gewoon even in rust stoppen, even rond kijken en een foto nemen.

Vandaag stond mijn route goed aangegeven met fietsrouteborden. Handig. Al controleer ik wel of het klopt met mijn boekje.

Vandaag veel stempels gekregen, oa van een Nederlandse vrouw die hier na haar pelgrimage met paarden is blijven hangen. Ook bij 2 kerkjes stempels gekregen. Ik zag ook veel typisch Galicische graanschuurtjes, de hórreos. Verder veel weilanden met koeien en wat bos.

Bij de herberg aangekomen stond er een bordje “Vol”. Toch maar naar binnen gerold om te vragen of er plek is. Ze bleken inderdaad nog een kamer vrij te hebben. de gehandicapten kamer. perfect dus.

Eerst was ik alleen maar later kwam er een kamergenoot. Er bleek namelijk iets mis te zijn gegaan waardoor er een pelgrim meer was dan er bedden op de slaapzaal zijn. Nu slaap ik met een Koreaanse/Amerikaanse op de kamer. Erg gezellig dus dat is fijn.

Straks wel vroeg slapen want ben toch wel erg moe. Morgen ga ik weer verder.

Groetjes,

Rolstoelpelgrim

Pelgrimstocht dag 29, Palas de Rei – Arzúa

mei 1, 2025 door rolstoelpelgrim

Gisteravond was het nog gezellig met mijn Koreaanse/Amerikaanse kamergenote. Wel zijn we vroeg gaan slapen. Rond 8.00 vertrokken we vanaf de herberg.

Toen ik net op mijn route zat kwam ik een andere (Spaanse) roller tegen. Ik ben er niet helemaal achter gekomen of hij ook op weg is naar Santiago (had geen bagage) maar ook hij rolde naar Melide (maar volgen mij zei hij daar te wonen maar weet het niet zeker). Eerst was het wel leuk om een andere roller te zien maar ik wilde wel weer gewoon alleen rollen en hij rolde sneller en wachtte dan op elke hoek van de straat op mij tot ik bijgerold was en dan rolde hij weer door. Communicatie was niet te doen en hoewel ik zei alleen te willen rollen bleef hij steeds maar op me wachten. Kreeg de zenuwen van die situatie. Uiteindelijk ben ik maar ergens bij een parkeerplaats langs de weg m’n ontbijt gaan opeten in de hoop dat de roller door zou rollen, ontbijten doe ik sowieso altijd ergens onderweg en dit was een perfect moment. Ik sprak toen ook nog een man uit Ierland die met de boot van Ierland naar Bilbao was gevaren, daarna naar Santiago was gefietst en nu weer terug fietste naar Bilbao om dan weer de boot naar huis te nemen. Uiteindelijk ben ik pas ruim een half uur later weer gaan rollen en toen was de andere roller inmiddels weg, heb hem daarna ook niet meer gezien. Daarna rustig door gerold.

Regelmatig kruiste mijn weg die van de wandelpelgrims maar we liepen niet vaak samen dus dat vond ik wel fijn. Het was een rustige rit. Vandaag had ik geen duidelijk einddoel, nou ja, eigenlijk had ik 2 opties en zou onderweg beslissen, Melide of Arzúa. Bij de eerste kwam ik al vrij snel aan, rond 11 uur had ik al 15km gerold. Dat vond ik toch te vroeg om al te stoppen. Daarom doorgerold. Wel heb ik nog even de kerk daar bezocht die open was, maar helaas lag er geen stempel.

Ik twijfelde of ik de langere officiële route of de iets kortere maar drukkere route zou gaan volgen, uiteindelijk toch voor de officiële route gegaan. Dat was een mooie route die bij mij ook weer oude herinneringen ophaalde. Deze route reed namelijk langs bossen vol eucalyptusbomen wat mij herinnerde aan een reis in Australië toen ik 18 jaar was, lang geleden dus. Het zijn aparte bomen, een beetje grijs groenig blad en bijzondere stammen. Ik genoot ook van de bosgeur, zowel van de eucalyptusbomen als van de dennen die hier ook regelmatig staan. Verder weer veel bloemen en vogels gezien.

Een paar kilometer voor ik in Arzúa aankwam sprak ik met 2 Amerikaanse fietsers die in tegengestelde richting fietsten. Toen ik wilde vertellen over mijn route kwam ik er achter dat ik mijn routeboekje niet meer had, vervelend, maar gelukkig ben ik er bijna. Toen maar op m’n mobiel gekeken en de route vertelt en verder over mijn reis en rolstoeldingen uitgelegd. Daarna weer verder gegaan.

Een paar kilometer later, net in Arzúa, stopt er een auto voor mij en stapt er een man met mijn boekje uit die auto! Hij sprak alleen spaans dus weet niet hoe hij wist dat het mijn boekje is maar wel weer heel bijzonder. Zo fijn dat het boekje weer terug is!

In Arzúa naar de herberg, die bleek vol. 2 andere herbergen ook. Toen besloten naar een camping te gaan die ik eerst over het hoofd had gezien en nu ineens op m’n kaart zag staan. Onderweg bij nog een (volle) herberg gevraagd om een stempel want ik moet er nu 2 per dag verzamelen. Fietsers moeten 200km en wandelpelgrims 100km voor Santiago 2 keer per dag hun pelgrimspaspoort laten stempelen als bewijs dat ze dit gefietst/gelopen/gerold hebben zodat ze daarvan een certificaat in Santiago kunnen ophalen. Stempels krijg je hier zo’n beetje overal, kerken en slaapplekken (daar probeer ik mijn stempels te krijgen) maar ook in touristenwinkels, restaurants/bars en soms bij iemand die aan de kant van de weg zit (dat had ik gisteren). Op de camping kreeg ik mijn 2e stempel van de dag dus ik zit weer goed. Het lastigste is het voor mij om stempels te verzamelen als ik niet op de wandelroute zit, wel fijner qua rust maar op de wandelroute zijn meer stempels te vinden.

Ik zit nu voor mijn tentje met de zon in de rug dit te schrijven. Heerlijk warm op mijn rug terwijl het verder fris begint te worden.

Zo lekker slapen, ik slaap nergens zo fijn als in mijn tentje dus ik zie er naar uit.

Naar verwachting nog maar 2 dagen tot ik Santiago ga bereiken! Ik hoorde net dat de Argentijnse fietsers waar ik eerder over schreef zijn aangekomen. Morgen en overmorgen zal ik het vast van nog meer mensen horen. Maar over 2 dagen is mijn reis nog niet klaar. Al heb ik na enige twijfel wel besloten om niet naar Finisterre door te rollen. Dit ivm meerdere redenen. Oa omdat mijn rolstoel niet zo betrouwbaar meer is, mijn rechter wiel wiebelt en maakt rare geluiden en dat word er niet beter op. en ook omdat ik van andere rolstoelpelgrims hoorde dat het laatste deel naar zee sowieso niet in de rolstoel lukt en voor hen tegen viel en ook omdat de terugreis vanaf daar een stuk lastiger is. Ik reis terug via Engeland en als mijn rolstoel het blijft doen hoop ik daar nog een korte pelgrimstocht te maken. Maar daarover later meer. Eerst naar Santiago!

Groetjes,

Rolstoelpelgrim

Pelgrimstocht dag 30, Arzúa – “San Marcos”

mei 2, 2025 door rolstoelpelgrim

Vanochtend wat later vertrokken ivm regen maar toen dit was gestopt toch kunnen vertrekken. Al was het toen al na 10.00. Had op de camping ook nog gesproken met een Nederlandse man en het blijkt dat ik zijn zoon ken van Archeon, dan is de wereld toch klein.

De eerste kilometers waren wel heel druk omdat er hier een stuk snelweg mist. Die is in aanbouw maar hier is een stuk niet af dus neemt iedereen de kleinere weg. Zodra het verkeer de snelweg weer op kon werd het weer rustig.

Het was een mooie en rustige rit langs veel eucalyptusbomen. Af en toe zag ik andere pelgrims en kruisten zij mijn weg maar meestal liepen ze op grotere afstand en zag ik ze niet of ergens in de verte. Op de plekken waar we samen liepen heb ik nog wel een stempel gekregen. Ook stond er (buiten mijn bereik) iemand met een doedelzak naast het spelen ook pelgrimspaspoorten te stempelen. Klonk gezellig.

Bij de camping aangekomen bleek dit anders te zijn dan verwacht. Het bleek geen gewone camping maar een plek met ingerichte tenten voor pelgrims, alles vol en gereserveerd. Daarom door naar een volgende camping, 11km verderop, had ik nog wel moed toe. Helaas begon het enorm te regenen, echte hoosbuien met onweer. Maar ja, terugrollen was ook geen optie ik zat al tussen 2 plaatsen in. Dus maar gewoon doorgerold. Gelukkig werd de regen uiteindelijk minder en rolde ik verder tot mijn rolstoel er ineens mee ophield… net voor het vliegveld van Santiago. M’n linkerwiel (het wiel waar ik weinig problemen mee heb gehad) maakte harde en rare piepende geluiden en reed niet meer…. En zo liep alles anders dan verwacht en gehoopt.

Hij wilt echt helemaal niet meer rijden. Een Aziatisch gezin op de fiets heeft me naar een veiliger deel van de weg geduwd en een auto van een pizzakoerier staande gehouden. Die heeft voor mij een aangepaste taxi gebeld. Als jullie dit lezen, nogmaals dank!

Inmiddels scheen zelfs de zon dus dat maakte het wachten minder vervelend. Na een half uur ben ik door de taxi opgehaald (voorwiel moest er wel af maar uiteindelijk paste hij er in), die heeft mij nu naar de camping gebracht. Mn tent is opgezet maar het regent weer enorm hard. Ik zit daarom momenteel in een grote ruimte met wasbakken en een grote tafel met stoelen. Mijn rolstoel staat hier ook.

Ik hoop dat de reden van deze grote storing de regen is, dat hij te nat was en dat als ik mijn wielen nu goed laat drogen dat hij het morgen weer gewoon doet. Maar dat is afwachten. Hij staat hier nu in ieder geval droog en m’n accu’s zijn aan het laden. Morgen weet ik pas of hij weer gaat werken. Dan kan ik dus ook pas beslissen wat ik ga doen. Het zou vervelend zijn als ik hier, 8km voor de finish, zou stranden.

Ik heb gelukkig wel een reisverzekering achter de hand want als hij kapot blijft weet ik nog niet goed hoe ik dit op moet gaan lossen. Ik zal jullie op de hoogte houden.

Groetjes,

Rolstoelpelgrim

Ps. Het is nu de volgende ochtend. Helaas…. mijn rolstoel is te kapot om verder te gaan. Ik heb net de reisverzekering geveld en ze gaan mij repatriëren….
Ik hou jullie op de hoogte.

Einde pelgrimstocht, camping San Marcos.

mei 3, 2025 door rolstoelpelgrim

Vanochtend deed mijn rolstoel het helaas nog niet, blokkeert misschien zelfs nog wel erger dan gisteren. Daarom mijn reisverzekering maar gebeld. Zij zijn nu bezig voor mijn repatriëring. Hoe en wanneer weet ik nog niet. Gelukkig kan ik hier op de camping staan. Ik zal jullie op de hoogte houden. Dus definitief gestrand, net voor Santiago.

Heel wat mensen gesproken, ideeën en eventuele oplossingen besproken maar uiteindelijk is de beste optie om naar huis te gaan en later hier nog mijn pelgrimstocht af te maken. Ik zie het zelf ook niet zitten om op andere wijze alsnog naar Santiago te gaan, bv in een duwrolstoel of taxi. Ik wil de kathedraal voor het eerst zien als ik zelf de stad in kom rijden zoals ik de duizenden kilometers hiervoor ook heb gerold. Dus voor nu is mijn reis afgelopen. Ik ben nu wel heel moe, veel regelen en denken. Ook fysiek is het hier op de camping plannen, de wc is voor mijn doen ver weg (ik schat 50 meter), dus als ik daar heen strompel probeer ik gelijk ook andere dingen te doen, waterfles vullen, stroom laden, etc. Maar ja, ik red me gelukkig wel.

Op de camping is een Nederlandse man van wie de vrouw vandaag in Santiago aankwam. Hij heeft vandaag boodschappen voor mij gedaan, dus voor vandaag en morgen (en misschien overmorgen) heb ik nu voldoende te eten dus dat is heel fijn en een zorg minder.

Hier op de camping is een groepje Spaanse kinderen/kleuters die steeds met me willen kletsen maar die ik niet kan verstaan. Vanmiddag ballonfiguren voor ze gemaakt!

Net ook nog gesproken met een Franse motorrijder die met zijn offroadmotor door Spanje rijdt over onverharde wegen. Indrukwekkend om die foto’s te zien.

Vandaag was het grotendeels zonnig weer. Ik heb nu ook alle natte kleren van gisteren kunnen drogen (ondanks regenkleding was ik gisteren tot op m’n ondergoed nat). Maar inmiddels is er weer stortregen met onweer (niet heel dichtbij gelukkig, zeker 6 tellen tussen bliksem en donder). Blij dat ik een goed tentje heb en hier droog zit. Maar hopelijk gaat de onweersbui snel voorbij.

Net de verzekering nog een keer gebeld en ik hoorde dat er morgenochtend iemand aan het werk gaat met mijn terugreis, morgen middag bel ik de verzekering weer over hoe het er voor staat.

Bedankt voor alle lieve en bemoedigende berichtjes die ik gisteravond en vandaag al kreeg. Dat doet me goed. Want hoewel ik er het beste van probeer te maken is dit wel een flinke teleurstelling. Maar ik kom hier terug en zal het dan afmaken.

Groetjes,

Rolstoelpelgrim

Camping San Marcos, wachten.

mei 4, 2025 door rolstoelpelgrim

Vanochtend een beetje uitgeslapen, pas om 8.30 werd ik wakker. Ik strompelde naar het toiletgebouw en toen ik daar van terug kwam liep juist de Koreaanse/ Amerikaanse vrouw waarmee ik pas op de kamer sliep wandelde de camping op. We hebben steeds contact gehouden dus ze wist dat ik hier ben en ik wist dat ze vandaag langs zou komen. Even gekletst en ze verwende me nog met wat snacks, lekker!

Verder vandaag weinig gedaan. Wel contact gehad met de reisverzekering maar omdat ik een nogal uitzonderlijk geval ben moeten ze de opties overleggen met het kantoor. maar ivm 4 en 5 mei (voor mijn buitenlandse lezers, het is dan dodenherdenking en bevrijdingsdag, vrije dagen in Nederland) is het kantoor nu dicht. Dinsdag krijg ik weer een telefoontje of kan ik in de middag zelf bellen.

Eind van de middag stuurde mijn zus me nog wat lekkers te eten via een bezorger. Dat zijn de leuke dingen die ik nu echt even nodig heb en me wat opfleuren want vandaag had ik het best even zwaar. Zeker in de ochtend toen ik de camping weer ging betalen en ik tussen alle pelgrims in de bar / receptie op de camping stond en alle pelgrims langs de camping zag lopen. Zag zelfs nog op afstand een bekende Duitse vrouw die ik onderweg meerdere keren had gesproken. Het zien van al die pelgrims in jubelstemming omdat ze er bijna zijn was confronterend en daardoor deed het wel extra pijn dat ik hier nu vast zit.

Nu moet ik vooral geduld hebben, ik zit hier zowieso tot woensdag (als ik dinsdag iets hoor ben ik zeker niet voor woensdag weg en zit hier mogelijk nog langer).

Ik merk dat het fysiek ook zwaar is, de afstand naar de WC is eigenlijk net te ver maar er is geen plek dichterbij (tussen mij en de WC is een asfalt plein/parkeerplaats).

Tussendoor lig ik veel en vermaak me maar met internet en youtube filmpjes. Vanochtend niet naar de kerk maar kon wel mijn kerk in Nederland op tv kijken, toch beter dan niks en leuk om bekenden te zien.

Ook is hier een klein zwart/wit vogeltje (witte kwikstaart? ) wat af en toe een tijdje dichtbij zit waardoor ik rustig foto’s kan nemen.

Verder heb ik weinig nieuws. Behalve dat ik dankbaar ben voor alle lieve en meelevende berichtjes via verschillende kanalen (oa hieronder, e-mail, WhatsApp en diverse social media).

Ik probeer toch dagelijks een blog te blijven schrijven om jullie op de hoogte te houden van de ontwikkelingen.

Groetjes,

Rolstoelpelgrim

Nog een dagje camping

mei 5, 2025 door rolstoelpelgrim

Vanochtend lang uitgeslapen, nu voel ik hoe moe ik ben. Pas kwart voor 10 werd ik wakker. Ik voel me vandaag gelukkig ook weer beter dan gisteren.

Toen ik net wakker was zat ik even voor m’n tent en daar sprak ik een vrouw en haar man uit Engeland die bezig waren met vertrekken. Ik vertelde haar m’n verhaal en ze vroeg of ze iets voor me kon doen. Ik vroeg of ze voor mij naar de receptie kon gaan en voor 2 dagen (tot woensdag) voor mij de camping kon betalen zodat ik die te grote afstand niet hoefde te lopen. Eigenlijk is die afstand namelijk veel te ver, ik red het wel (met minimaal 5 keer tussendoor zitten) maar het kost me ongeveer een halve dag energie. Toen ik geld wilde pakken om aan haar mee te geven voor de betaling zei ze dat zij het voor me willen betalen. Zo lief!

Nadat ze dat had gedaan kreeg ik ook nog 2 mandarijnen en 2 tomaten en lekkere crackers zodat ik ook nog eten heb als m’n brood morgen op is (al heb ik inmiddels ook uitgevonden hoe ik hier online boodschappen kan laten bezorgen). Dus dat was weer een mooie ontmoeting en een positieve start van de dag.

Verder heb ik rustig aan gedaan, tv gekeken, gelezen, familie gebeld, veel foto’s van weer die zelfde vogel gemaakt (ik hoor hier heel veel verschillende vogels maar ik zie er steeds maar eentje) en ik ben bezig geweest om de insecten in mijn voortent op de foto te zetten.

Ook nog een lekkere lunch gemaakt met oa de tomaat die ik vanochtend had gekregen. Dus zo kwam ik de dag aardig goed door.

Vanavond maar weer vroeg naar bed, probeer nu maar veel te rusten zodat ik straks de terugreis goed aan zal kunnen. Morgenmiddag verwacht ik weer meer informatie van de verzekering. Ik hou jullie op de hoogte.

Groetjes,

Rolstoelpelgrim

Dag 4 op de camping in San Marcos

mei 6, 2025 door rolstoelpelgrim

Hoewel ik nog niet veel nieuws heb probeer ik toch weer een blog te schrijven. Ondanks dat ik nog geen concreet nieuws heb over mijn vertrek ben ik vandaag wel druk bezig geweest, vooral een hoop gebeld, gemaild en geregeld. Van de verzekering nog geen uitsluitsel maar wel 2 keer gesproken. Vooral besproken wat allemaal mogelijk is. Oa ben ik nu bezig met voor de verzekering een offerte op te vragen van een fietsvervoerder waarvan ik inmiddels weet dat zij mijn rolstoel kunnen meenemen naar Nederland. Mogelijk kan dan mijn rolstoel en een deel van m’n bagage (accu’s, tent) op die manier naar Nederland en dan kan ik zelf terug vliegen. Maar nog niks is zeker. Hopelijk komt daar morgen (of daarna….) snel meer duidelijkheid over.

Verder vandaag de was gedaan, het is hier nu zonnig en het waait dus alles is alweer droog. Ondanks de zon is het niet warm, heb de hele dag m’n winterjas aan gehad. Ook in de nacht is het best koud maar dan hou ik me met m’n slaapzak en een kruik (metalen drinkfles met heet water in een sok) gelukkig goed warm.

Ook nog wat bloemetjes in het gras op de foto gezet. En tussendoor tv/film gekeken.

Ook heb ik vanochtend boodschappen laten bezorgen, mijn brood was op dus het is fijn om weer vers brood en andere dingen te hebben. Het werd keurig voor mijn tent afgeleverd dus dat werkt goed. Fijn te weten voor als ik hier nog langer vast zit. Want ik heb geen idee hoe lang het zal gaan duren. Maar zo kan ik me hier aardig redden.

Ik hou jullie op de hoogte.

Groetjes,

Rolstoelpelgrim

Dag 5 op de camping

mei 7, 2025 door rolstoelpelgrim

Alweer 5 dagen hier, maar vandaag kreeg ik het goede nieuws dat de verzekering mijn terugweg gaat regelen en betalen! Morgen gaan ze contact leggen met het fietstransportbedrijf om dit te regelen (daar heb ikzelf al telefonisch contact mee gehad maar die willen dat het via de verzekering geregeld wordt in verband met zekerheid over de kosten).

Ik hoop dat ik morgen ook bericht krijg wanneer m’n rolstoel door hen wordt opgehaald (fietstransport bedrijf gaf aan dat dit mogelijk het weekeind wordt) want zodra we dit weten kan de vliegticket worden geboekt voor hopelijk dezelfde dag. Want ik wil graag ook m’n tent meegeven aan het fietstransport dus dan is het lastig om nog langer te kamperen.

Over kamperen gesproken, toen ik wilde betalen kreeg ik van degene die de betaling altijd doet de mededeling dat ik komende dagen niet hoef te betalen omdat ze begrijpt dat ik het niet breed heb. Zo lief weer. Zoveel mensen die mij door deze situatie heen helpen.

Verder vandaar rustig aan gedaan. Een mooie citroenboom op de camping gevonden die enorm vol met citroenen hangt en ook heerlijk ruikende bloesem heeft. Thuis heb ik ook enkele citrusboompjes in mijn kas en vensterbank staan maar zulke grote citroenbomen hebben wij in Nederland niet buiten staan. Toch kan het hier ook best koud zijn, maar blijkbaar toch warm genoeg voor deze bomen.

Ook heb ik nog even naar de schapen naast de camping gekeken. Verder vooral veel gelegen, uitgerust, op m’n tablet tv gekeken over de kardinalen die aan het conclaaf beginnen (ik ben best benieuwd wie de volgende paus zal zijn, vanavond zwarte rook, dus nog geen nieuwe paus) en verder tussendoor een film gekeken waar ik me niet erg op kon concentreren.

Net ook voor 2 kinderen nog ballonnen gemaakt. Doe ik bijna dagelijks wel voor ze dus elke dag staan ze een keer voor m’n tent om te vragen om ballonnen.

Verder is het vandaag prima weer, niet heel warm maar wel een blauwe lucht, zonnig en droog.

Over het algemeen dus een vrij goede dag gehad. Hoewel ik hier weinig kan kom ik m’n dagen gelukkig redelijk goed door.

En het is een opluchting te weten dat ik welliswaar hier nog wel een paar dagen ben maar dat het er naar uit ziet dat ik over een paar dagen naar huis mag.

Ik hou jullie op de hoogte.

Groetjes,

Rolstoelpelgrim

Dag 6 op de camping

mei 8, 2025 door rolstoelpelgrim

Vandaag een rustige dag. Nog geen datum gehoord maar wel kort contact gehad met de verzekering per e-mail. Zij hebben vandaag contact gehad met het vervoersbedrijf maar nog geen datum. Waarschijnlijk het weekend. Vanmiddag kwam de campingbaas bij mijn tent met een heerlijke lunch, brood met warm vlees en gesmolten kaas, 2 appels, sinaasappel en een flesje ijsthee.En terwijl ik zit te schrijven kwam hij ook eens nog m’n avondeten brengen, 2 tosti’s! zo lief!Ik ben hier gestrand, al 6 dagen, en ze zorgen zo goed voor mij. Heel bijzonder!!!

Verder vandaag weinig gedaan, beetje in de zon gezeten. Vliegtuigen op de foto gezet (straaljagers om precies te zijn, die hoor ik hier veel maar zijn lastig in de lucht te vinden omdat geluid en beeld niet kloppen) en vandaag veel op youtube gekeken over de paus, net witte rook. De Amerikaanse Paus Leo XIV is het geworden.

Verder heb ik niet zo veel nieuws. Morgen zal ik weer iets schrijven, hopelijk weet ik dan weer meer.

Groetjes,

Rolstoelpelgrim

Dag 7 op de camping.

mei 9, 2025 door rolstoelpelgrim

Een week is het nu geleden dat ik hier op de camping aan kwam. Vanochtend was ik vroeg wakker, naar de WC geweest en een klein wasje gedaan. Toen dat aan de waslijn hing weer terug m’n bed ingekropen.

Rond 10 uur riep de campingbaas, was gelukkig al wel wakker. Hij had tosti’s voor mijn ontbijt bij zich. Zo lief weer. Verder vandaag weinig gedaan. Het was fris buiten dus veel in mijn tent gezeten. Al heb ik nog wel even wat foto’s genomen rond mijn tent maar niet heel lang. Want rond 15.30 begon het te regenen.

Gelukkig was mijn wasje van vanochtend toen gelukkig al weer droog en binnen. Vanmiddag en vanavond contact gehad met de verzekering (bellen was een uitdaging want het regende enorm en dat maakt een hoop herrie in de tent). Helaas nog geen duidelijke afspraak binnen van de vervoerder. Al is de verwachting zondag. Hopelijk kan ik dan zondag middag/ avond vliegen. Ik hoop dat ik hier morgen een bevestiging van krijg. Ik kreeg net ook nog bananen en koekjes van de campingbaas!

Groetjes,

Rolstoelpelgrim

Dag 8 op de camping

mei 10, 2025 door rolstoelpelgrim

Ik begin m’n verhaal vandaag maar bij gisteravond. Ik was redelijk vroeg op bed maar lag nog een film te kijken rond 22.00. Buiten m’n tent was het druk, ik denk een feestje bij de campingbaas, veel auto’s voor de deur en hoorde regelmatig gepraat. Opeens hoorde ik de campingbaas gedag zeggen, hij stond voor mijn tent met een groot bord patat en kippenpoten. Wat een enorme maaltijd. Ondanks dat ik overdag voor mijn doen al best veel had gegeten (hij had zoals ik in m’n vorige blog schreef eerder ook al goed voor mij gezorgd met eten) besloot ik toch m’n best te doen en het smaakte me goed. Daarna kwam hij nog een bak kip brengen en kreeg ik nog een brood. Veel te veel om op te eten maar weigeren lukte niet. Heel lief, maar dit was vele malen meer dan mijn maag kan eten, ik eet altijd heel weinig en al helemaal qua vlees. Dat eet ik normaal echt heel weinig. Uiteindelijk gegeten wat kon en de rest maar laten staan.

In de ochtend kreeg ik weer 2 tosti’s, en hij bood mij nog meer kip aan maar heb dit afgewezen. Dat was echt veel te veel. Maar ik kom hier dus niet om van de honger!

Verder vandaag weinig gedaan. Het regende bijna de hele dag. Nog wat foto’s genomen maar de onderwerpen raken nu wel een beetje op.

Ook vast wat spullen uitgezocht van wat met het fietstransportbedrijf mee moet, uitzoeken en beslissen wat ik echt nodig heb of juist kan missen om een nacht hier te verblijven en ook onderweg of thuis nodig heb (mogelijk duurt het even voor het transport mijn rolstoel thuis brengt). De verwachting is dat morgen m’n rolstoel wordt opgehaald (helaas blijft dat fietstransportbedrijf enigszins vaag in het maken van de afspraak maar waarschijnlijk morgen middag) en dan vlieg ik zelf hopelijk maandag terug naar huis.

Zodra mijn rolstoel is opgehaald mag ik de verzekering bellen en dan boeken zij mijn vlucht en vervoer (taxi) van camping naar het vliegveld en van Schiphol naar huis. Morgen in het blog kan ik dus eindelijk definitief zeggen wanneer ik naar Nederland kom. Ik zie er naar uit!

Groetjes,

Rolstoelpelgrim

Dag 9 op de camping

mei 11, 2025 door rolstoelpelgrim

Vanochtend kreeg ik via WhatsApp bericht van het fiets transportbedrijf dat ze rond 16.00 zouden komen. En mijn rolstoel is inderdaad ook eind van de middag opgehaald.

De hele ochtend regende het maar in de middag werd het gelukkig droog, ik heb zelfs nog een wasje droog gekregen. Ook had ik vanmiddag visite van 1 van m’n volgers. We hadden elkaar nog niet eerder ontmoet maar het was erg gezellig. Zij was erbij toen m’n rolstoel werd ingeladen.

Verder werd ik door Nederlanders op de camping uitgenodigd voor de thee en daarna voor het avondeten. Dus gezellig gekletst en over onze reizen gesproken. Helaas heb ik nog geen vluchtdatum, toen ik na het transport van m’n rolstoel belde met de verzekering bleek het boeken niet te lukken omdat het zondag is…. Altijd gedoe in het weekeind… Nu bellen zij mij morgenochtend vroeg op, dan gaan we de reis echt boeken. Misschien voor morgenmiddag maar ik hou er ook maar rekening mee dat het overmorgen zal worden. Afwachten dus maar weer…

Ik hou jullie op de hoogte.

Groetjes,

Rolstoelpelgrim

Terugreis!

mei 12, 2025 door rolstoelpelgrim

Even een kort blog. Vanochtend heb ik de verzekering gebeld en is er een terugvlucht geboekt. Ik vlieg om 20.55 Portugese tijd vanaf Porto. Ik ben vanmiddag met een taxi (rit van ruim 2 uur) van de camping naar het vliegveld in Porto gebracht.

net m’n spullen ingecheckt en door de paspoortcontrole. Ik mocht hier nog 45 minuten rond rollen langs de winkeltjes in deze leenvouwstoel (over gladde vloeren lukt me dat gelukkig net aan om zelf te rollen. Maar weet dan wel gelijk weer waarom een motor nodig is) om even wat te eten en me te vermaken. Nu zit ik hier in de wachtruimte voor de gate.

om 20.55 (Portugese tijd) vlieg ik. Ik kom net na middernacht aan. Vanaf daar is weer een taxi naar huis geregeld.

morgen schrijf ik nog een blog om te laten weten hoe de vlucht is gegaan.

groetjes,

Rolstoelpelgrim

Weer thuis!

mei 13, 2025 door rolstoelpelgrim

Gisteravond heb ik een goede reis gehad met het vliegtuig. Een rustige vlucht. Helaas zat ik niet bij het raam maar ik kon wel langs m’n buurvrouw naar buiten kijken. Ik zat aan de linkerkant in het vliegtuig en omdat het avond was had ik mooi zicht op de zonsondergang. Enorm mooi de ondergaande zon boven het wolkendek!

Na aankomst op Schiphol stond de begeleiding alweer met een rolstoel klaar. Met de taxi was afgesproken dat ik bij aankomst 4 zou worden gebracht. Helaas was de begeleiding minder bekend op Schiphol dan ik (ze werkten via het uitzendbureau, daar spraken ze samen over) en ze konden de juiste plek niet vinden…

Ze brachten mij eerst naar vertrek 4, ik zei dat dit niet de juiste plek is, dat het aankomst moest zijn. Ze belde toen met de taxi chauffeur die zei dat aankomst 4 bij de AH to Go in de buurt was. Toen werd ik geduwd naar de AH to go bij aankomst 1… Ondanks dat ik zei dat aankomst 4 op de borden stond en daar ook zo’n AH zit werd daar niet naar geluisterd. Uiteindelijk belden ze nogmaals met de chauffeur en na nogmaals aandringen duwden ze me eindelijk de juiste kant op. Gelukkig kwam het zo toch goed. Maar het was wel onnodig omrijden.

De chauffeur laadde mijn bagage in en daarna werd ik snel naar huis gebracht. Rond 2 uur in de nacht was ik thuis, ik denk dat ik rond 3 uur sliep. Nu ben ik blij dat ik weer thuis ben en deze lange wachttijd voorbij is.

Eind deze week komt waarschijnlijk ook mijn rolstoel thuis, dan wordt die hopelijk snel gerepareerd. Gelukkig heb ik thuis nog wel een oude rolstoel waarmee ik mij voor korte stukjes redelijk kan redden.Voor nu ga ik eerst uitrusten, helaas geen dagelijks blog meer. Binnenkort zal ik nog een blog schrijven met alle statistieken (oa kosten en afstanden) en een terugblik van deze reis. En hopelijk kan ik dan ook alweer meer vertellen over het vervolg, want ik laat het er niet bij zitten en hoop deze reis nog dit jaar af te kunnen maken. Ik wil toch echt aankomen in Santiago!

Ik zal jullie op de hoogte houden. Wie het nog niet heeft gedaan kan zich inschrijven op mijn nieuwsbrief op de homepage. Dan krijg je bericht zodra ik weer iets plaats. Ook via Facebook en Instagram ben ik te volgen.

Verder wil ik jullie enorm bedanken, al die lieve berichtjes die ik afgelopen tijd heb ontvangen hebben me echt door de lastige situatie heen geholpen. Ik voelde me enorm gesteund!

Tot snel!

Groetjes,

Rolstoelpelgrim

Terugblik

mei 27, 2025 door rolstoelpelgrim

Hier de terugblik op mijn reis en aan het eind ook nog een winactie! Verder veel over alle hoogte en dieptepunten van mijn pelgrimstocht.

Inmiddels ben ik bijna 2 weken thuis. Ik merk dat alle vermoeidheid er nu wel uitkomt. Ik heb lange nachten geslapen en tussendoor nog middagdutjes gedaan. Komende tijd maar proberen rustig aan te doen en tijd te nemen voor mijn herstel. Ik voel vaak pas hoe overbelast ik ben als ik rust neem, en dat herstel heeft tijd nodig.

Het was een reis van hoge toppen en diepe dalen, letterlijk (hoogste punt, 1339 meter, laagste punt ongeveer 250 meter) en figuurlijk (geweldige ontmoetingen en mooie natuur maar ook veel, vooral technische, problemen). Hoewel het einde van mijn reis anders liep dan ik ooit had verwacht, en ik onderweg veel technische problemen had (2e dag kapotte schakelaar, daarna zo’n 6 lekke banden, losse en gebroken spaken, een rechterwiel dat voortdurend rammelde en kraakte en uiteindelijk een linkerwiel waarvan in de motor een tandwiel kapot ging waardoor de reis ten einde kwam) was mijn reis ook heel goed en bijzonder. Ik heb gerold door mooie natuur, totaal anders dan ons Nederlandse landschap. Veel bijzondere vogels en planten gezien, genoten van bergen met sneeuw en ook veel mooie ontmoetingen gehad. Zowel met pelgrims onderweg als herbergiers en locale mensen.

Ook de goede week/ paasdagen en alle processies vond ik erg indrukwekkend om daar mee te kunnen maken. Zo anders dan het in Nederland is met Pasen. Onderweg ben ik ook in vele mooie kerken en kloosters geweest en zag ik geweldige kastelen.

Het is bijzonder hoe ik zo vaak op precies de juiste momenten de juiste mensen trof die mij hielpen. Vorig jaar stond er een verhaal van mijn eerdere avonturen in een boekje van de Nederlandse zangeres/schrijfster Elly Zuiderveld over ontmoetingen met engelen en dit jaar ben ik er daar ook echt weer een paar van tegen gekomen! Ik kan hier niet iedereen benoemen (lees daarvoor het blog nog eens door, daar heb ik het meeste wel beschreven) maar een paar wil ik hier nog kort extra uitlichten. Oa een vrouw die ik in de kerk van Navarrete ontmoette toen al op de 2e dag de schakelaar van m’n rolstoel het begaf en me eten gaf, mij uitnodigde bij haar thuis en mij bij de camping kwam ophalen om naar de kerk te gaan. De Nederlandse rolstoelmonteur die zorgde dat dit onderdeel naar Spanje werd gestuurd waardoor ik m’n reis toch kon vervolgen. De Duitse fietser die mij bij een zeer steile klim, toen mijn accu’s vrijwel leeg waren en mijn eigen energie het ook begaf, mij omhoog duwde tot een herberg en mij daar een lekker glas sap te drinken gaf. De Koreaanse groep fietsers die mij de dag erna ook een duw gaven toen ik niet omhoog kwam op het laatste deel van de klim. Een Aziatische familie op de fiets die toen m’n rolstoel kapot was stopten, mij naar en veilige plek brachten en een taxi regelden.En ook de campingbaas die mij, nadat ik daar was gestrand, zo goed verzorgde, oa met maaltijden. Verder al die mensen op de camping die mij hielpen, boodschappen deden, mij eten / drinken gaven of gewoon even een praatje maakten waardoor ik de tijd beter doorkwam.

Qua weer heb ik zo’n beetje alles meegemaakt. Warm en zonnig maar ook sneeuw, hagel, regen, mist en onweer. Temperaturen van rond het vriespunt tot zeer warme dagen. Gelukkig was ik op al die weertypes voorbereid. Alleen de sneeuw was het met blote voeten wel erg koud (sinds m’n rugoperatie van 2 jaar geleden waaraan ik zenuwschade heb overgehouden kan ik niks aan m’n voeten verdragen, hooguit voor korte tijd, en sindsdien ga ik blootsvoets door het leven) maar door me verder goed aan te kleden is het gelukt.

Ondertussen heb ik ook de jaarlijkse kosten en afstanden opgeteld en een lijst gemaakt van de route/dagetappes en kosten:

Dag 1, huis – Schiphol – Brussel- Parijs- Hendaye – Irun, treinticket 150 euro, hotel 50 euro
Dag 2, Irun – Bilbao – Logroño herberg, 10 euro, trein 26 euro

Pelgrimstocht dag 1 Logroño – Navarrete 19,61km, herberg 10 euro
Pelgrimstocht dag 2 Navarrete-Navarrete 3,87km, camping 14 euro
Pelgrimstocht dag 3 Navarrete – Nájera 26,93km, herberg 6 euro
Pelgrimstocht dag 4 Nájera- Santo Domingo de la Calzada 20,23km, herberg 13euro
Pelgrimstocht dag 5 Santo Domingo de la Calzada- Belorado 30,74km herberg 8 euro, boodschappen 4,50
Pelgrimstocht dag 6 Belorado- Villafranca montes de Oca 11,95km, 15 Euro
Pelgrimstocht dag 7 Villafranca montes de Oca – Santovenia 16,8km,, herberg 15 euro
Pelgrimstocht dag 8 Santovenia – Burgos 35,88km, camping 12 euro boodschappen 11 euro
Pelgrimstocht dag 9 Burgos – Cavia 29,12km, herberg camping 11 euro,
Pelgrimstocht dag 10 Cavia- Castrojeriz 30,92km, herberg 10 euro
Pelgrimstocht dag 11 Castrojeriz – Frómista 31,55km herberg 15 euro
Pelgrimstocht dag 12 Frómista – Carrión de los Condes 20,86km herberg 8 euro
Pelgrimstocht dag 13 Carrión de los Condes – Sagagún 43,22km herberg 8 euro
Pelgrimstocht dag 14 Sagagún – El Burgo Ranero 18,04km herberg donativo vergeten. Sorry
Pelgrimstocht dag 15 El Burgo Ranero- Mansilla de las Mulas 21,21km herberg 13,50
Pelgrimstocht dag 16 Mansilla de las Mulas – Leon 19,42km herberg 7 euro boodschappen 2 euro
Pelgrimstocht dag 17 Leon – Hospital de Órbigo 38,6km herberg 12 euro
Pelgrimstocht dag 18 Hospital de Órbigo – Murias de Rechivaldo 25,02km herberg 10 euro
Pelgrimstocht dag 19 Murias de Rechivaldo- Rabanal del Camino 16,05 km herberg 5 euro
Pelgrimstocht dag 20 Rabanal del camino – Acebo de San Miguel 18,19km herberg 7 euro
Pelgrimstocht dag 21 Acebo de San Miguel – Cacabelos 33,35km herberg 13 euro
Pelgrimstocht dag 22 Cacabelos- Las Herrerias 29,58km herberg 10 euro, boodschappen 3,30
Pelgrimstocht dag 23 Las Herrerias – La Laguna 8,45km herberg 15 euro
Pelgrimstocht dag 24 La Laguna – Triacastela 25,91km herberg 12,50
Pelgrimstocht dag 25 Triacastela- Sarria 22,01km herberg 12 euro
Pelgrimstocht dag 26 Sarria- Portomarin 25,45km herberg 10 euro
Pelgrimstocht dag 27 Portomarin – Portomarin (grote stroomstoring Iberisch schiereiland) 2km door dorpje naar kerk, herberg 10 euro, boodschappen 3,33 euro
Pelgrimstocht dag 28 Portomarin – Palas de Rei 25,15 km herberg 10 euro
Pelgrimstocht dag 29 Palas de Rei – Arzúa 34,94km herberg 10 euro
Pelgrimstocht dag 30 Arzúa – gestrand net voor San Marcos 38,83km camping 14 euro

Totaal 720,01km

Nadat ik was gestrand en wachtte op repatriëring:

Camping dag 1 camping 14 euro
Camping dag 2 camping betaald door vriendelijke Engelsen, bedankt! Boodschappen 11 euro
Camping dag 3 camping betaald door vriendelijke Engelsen, bedankt!
Camping dag 4 hoefde niet mee te betalen van campingbaas, bedankt!
Camping dag 5 boodschappen, 30 euro
Camping dag 6
Camping dag 7
Camping dag 8
Camping dag 9
camping dag 10, Repatriëring / terugreis, Porto – Schiphol – Thuis!

De afstand was in totaal 720,01km tot ik strandde.Gemiddeld is dat 24km per dag (de 2 dagen waardoor ik door omstandigheden van kapotte schakelaar en stroomstoring niet kon rollen heb ik gewoon meegenomen dus had anders een hoger gemiddelde van 25,71km). Mijn langste dagafstand was 43,22km en mijn kortste was 8,45km, die kortste had alleen wel een stijging van 543m en was daardoor ook de zwaarste dag.

Qua kosten zit ik ongeveer hetzelfde als eerdere jaren. Maar dat was wel een uitdaging om dit laag te houden. Het liefste kampeer ik, maar in Spanje was dat eigenlijk geen optie. Op de eerste plaats zijn er niet veel campings en op de 2e plaats is de gemiddelde camping ook duurder dan de herbergen. Daardoor was ik meestal toch in de herberg te vinden. Een camping vind ik om meerdere redenen fijn, ik slaap graag in de tent met veel frisse lucht en ik heb er mijn privacy en rust die ik in herbergen met slaapzalen mis. Op mijn 30 dagen durende pelgrimstocht betaalde ik in totaal 316 euro aan de slaapplekken, een gemiddelde van 10,53 per nacht. Totaal, met heen/terugweg en wachttijd op de camping er bij geteld was het 90 euro extra, dus een totaal van 406 euro. Dan is het gemiddelde 9,90 euro, vooral doordat mensen zoveel hebben geholpen en ik weinig hoefde te betalen op de camping.

Qua eten was de prijs in de winkel redelijk vergelijkbaar met eerdere jaren in Frankrijk. Ik kocht vaak goedkoop stokbrood ( 30 tot 50ct in de supermarkt, in kleine dorpswinkeltjes was dat juist erg duur, soms wel 2,50 euro). Nadeel was vooral dat er weinig echte supermarkten op de route lagen en ik soms echt voor een aantal dagen eten moest kopen als er een winkel was en soms ook moest opletten dat ik nog wel genoeg eten had. Daardoor at ik vaak 3 of 4 dagen oud brood omdat ik geen winkels zag of dat die dicht waren (siësta) als ik langs kwam. Bars en restaurants waren er daarentegen genoeg, elk gehucht heeft wel een bar. Maar daar heb ik geen gebruik van gemaakt. Ik heb tijdens mijn Pelgrimstocht maar ongeveer 30 euro uitgegeven aan boodschappen. Gemiddeld is dat nog geen euro per dag, wel moet ik zeggen dat ik diverse keren een brood en fruit van mensen onderweg kreeg en een paar keer zat er een maaltijd (ontbijt of avondeten) bij de prijs van de herberg inbegrepen. En ik vertrok van huis met het nodige aan houdbaar eten zoals mueslireppen, gedroogd fruit, couscous en aardappelpuree en een stukje kaas. Dus ook daar heb ik van kunnen eten. Onderweg heb ik altijd heel weinig honger, ongeveer ⅓ stokbrood per dag, wat kaas, fruit en soms yoghurt is op de meeste dagen wat ik eet, hooguit bij een zware klim wat extra calorieën in de vorm van pure chocola of mueslirepen en het gekke is dat ik me dan beter voel dan wanneer ik “gewoon” eet. Ik drink alleen water (thuis doe ik dat ook).

In de avond als het koud is, wil ik wel eens iets warms drinken (zodat ik warm m’n slaapzak ik kan) en daarvoor heb ik een thermoskan, stalen mok en dompelaar bij mij. Dan maak ik kruidenthee (munt groeide overal en ik had een teentje gember mee) of ik maak instant chocolademelk, ook daar had ik een paar zakjes van bij mij. Voor drinken maakte ik dus onderweg geen kosten. op de camping, nadat ik was gestrand, heb ik 1 keer voor ongeveer 30 euro aan boodschappen besteld en 1 keer hebben nederlanders voor 11 euro boodschappen voor mij gedaan. Door verveling had ik daar ook meer trek en mijn voorraad van thuis was toen inmiddels op.

Ik miste, doordat ik niet zoals afgelopen jaren in het naseizoen rolde, dat er geen fruit aan de bomen hing dat ik kon plukken. Bloesem is wel heel mooi om te zien maar ik heb toch liever rijpe appels, vijgen, noten en bramen zoals in de afgelopen jaren. Verder heb ik nog andere dingen onderweg gekocht als reservebanden en nieuwe werkhandschoenen. Hiervan heb ik de prijs niet precies bijgehouden maar zal maximaal 50 euro zijn, dit neem ik verder niet mee in mn berekening.

totaal heeft de reis mij 527 euro gekost (slapen 406, eten 71) voor 42 dagen, gemiddeld is dat 12,54 per dag. Als ik alleen de pelgrimstocht reken is het een totaal van 346 (slapen 316, eten 30) dus 11,53 per dag. Ook afgelopen jaren zat ik rond dat bedrag en ik had voor mijzelf 12 tot 15 euro in gedachte als dagbudget (dat is een enorm laag budget voor pelgrims, gemiddeld geven andere pelgrims vaak 35 tot 50 per dag uit als ze zeggen een laag budget te hebben ) dus dat heb ik netjes gedaan.

En dan heb ik nog iets leuks, namelijk een winactie! onderweg naar de wc gaan is als vrouw altijd lastig. Daarom gebruik ik al jaren de Liberpee plastuit (voorheen uixi), ideaal! Zowel in de natuur als op vieze openbare wc’s en als ik een tuinbroek draag is het ook heel handig. Ik had een aantal jaar geleden er al eens een grote review over geschreven maar het was tijd voor vernieuwing. Die lees je hier. Van Liberpee mag ik gratis een Liberpee plastuit weg gaan geven. Lees hier op de review pagina hoe je daar kans op maakt!

Ondanks hoe het is afgelopen kijk ik terug op een mooie pelgrimstocht. Een bijzonder verhaal heeft deze reis wel opgeleverd. Ik hoop later deze zomer, waarschijnlijk augustus, opnieuw naar Spanje te reizen om m’n laatste etappe alsnog af te maken. Ik doe dat dan tijdens een vakantie met mijn zoon, we gaan dan met de auto en dan kunnen we om de beurt rijden. Nog zo’n 12km van waar ik ben gestrand naar Santiago. Dus nog maar 1 korte dag rollen.

Dus schrijf je in voor de nieuwsbrief als je dit nog niet hebt gedaan. Dan krijg je bericht zodra ik weet wanneer ik vertrek.

Groetjes,

Rolstoelpelgrim

Hier komt later nog mij laatste blog als ik echt in Santiago aan zal komen, waarschijnlijk augustus 2025. schrijf je in voor de nieuwsbrief want dan krijg je hier direct bericht over!