Camino Primitivo - Sep 18, 2022 Day 3 Salas to Campiello

Today was the 108th day of Camino walking for me since 2013. An awesome day…I think the most memorable day ever! 

Walked 33.2 Kms, 1,048 meters elevation gain, 672 elevation loss totalling 1,720 meters total over 7.4 hours.

Fantastic weather, very challenging physical day, incredible views, walking very strongly, meeting new pilgrim walkers AND starring in a future Japanese Camino documentary (NOT JOKING 🙃!).

First last night where we had a great meal…pizza and crepe dessert.

Now the picture shows a missing pizza slice…Paulo told me to take a picture just in time 😂

Reminded me of a time on Via Podiensis with Cyrille and Georges where I totally forgot to take a picture…so I went to the next table and asked fellow pilgrim Michel if I could take a picture of his pizza. The look on his face was priceless either “this guy is totally nuts” or “sure glad to help you”. I choose the latter interpretation!

After breakfast we started early around 7:30 in total darkness for half an hour or so.

Today I was quite proud of myself in that I worked out a plan to have my Clooney’s available when the sun shone…see below. However this morning…not so good…as my headlamp brought especially for such a morning was somewhere in the bag…this is tomorrow’s self improvement project 😀

We realized today that a number of people we have met so far will no longer walk the same stages as we are given our next two long stages in row. We hope to see them again the second day in Santiago de Compostela. This is always a bit sad however it happens all the time walking a Camino.

We did however meet a number of new pilgrims today.

Syp - Holland Last year walked from Holland to Finisterre in 4 months. Young tall guy…very strong walker

Joao - Portugal walking with hurt knee 6th Camino…likely will not see him again

Alex - Spain from Madrid

Josée - France  70 and 5th Camino

Born in Spain. His philosophy is walk as long as you can balancing physical and mental aspects. Totally makes sense to me…absolutely like his approach!

Patricia Connecticut United States - more later

In Espina 8km in Gabriel joined us just as we were leaving…told him I might have thrown him under the bus in latest blog. He laughed and said “probably when you passed me as I was talking football 😂” Later within 5km of the finish Gabriel comes charging up and said something about “seniors walking slowly” and motored on by with a smile. I knew this would happen 😆

Ok the big story of the day…this is ALL TRUE!!! In Tineo about 20km a Japanese film crew came up the street shooting a scene with a woman and male pilgrim. Then they reversed direction and came back down and said Hola and Buen Camino to Paulo and me. I was facing the street so the camera crew focused on me! So I thought wow…who knows what this means!

Sometime in the afternoon we came upon the woman pilgrim who was being filmed…her name is Patricia.

So we walked together for 20 minutes or so as she described that the film crew was documenting a Camino film…they previously  completed a very successful first film in 8K 🤔 a couple of years ago. Hey that’s exciting…maybe I will be in this new one!

Fast forward a while and we have 3 kms left to Campiello and we have walk on a highway! Brutal stuff to finish a long day’s…so I simply decided to go hard and pulled away a bit from Patricia and Paulo. Maybe a km from the finish I pass the full camera crew on the side of the road.

I finish and wait and wait for Paulo…meanwhile the director of the documentary asked Paulo and Patricia to do a retake of the downhill walk to where the cameras are😂. Yes go back up and walk again down! 🥵

Finally Paulo, Patricia and the male pilgrim crest

the hill with the whole camera crew on them big time. I see them and I am peeved thinking Paulo has just stolen my chance at being in the documentary😩.

Then the director asks if Paulo, Patricia and me can sit down for a little session…with complimentary drinks. Sure redemption time…maybe I can be in the documentary after all!

Half an hour of questions “Why do you walk?”, “What is your Camino history…my chance to blab”, “How did you meet?”, “Why have you walked together again…because I like punishment!”, “How has Camino changed?”, “Impact of COVID?” Etc etc 

At some point Paulo even told them about the “ashes deal” Geez Paulo!

Now I know what it’s like to be a celebrity…as soon as I started to answer a question the camera guy was 3 feet away from me! I kept my cool though…may have some potential here.😂

Ok it ends…thanks all round…group picture below, gift from Director, his card, we provide our contact information.

Documentary comes out in 2023. I seriously think we will be in it…well at least I will…not sure about Paulo. Main reason…had my Clooney’s on. I will sign autographs upon request!

Directors card

Tomorrow the crown jewel of the Camino Primitivo…the Hospitales route…very challenging day! Likely pictures only blog!

Finally a few pictures from the day.

Always at the top of a steep climb