Category: Camino de Santiago

Articles and news about the Way of Saint James, the Christian Pilgrimage in Northern Spain to the resting place of the Apostle Saint James

Eating times and customs in Spain & on the different Caminos de Santiago

One of the man difference you will find with your home country when traveling in Spain and on the Camino de Santiago is the extreme mealtimes that are followed and this is a concern for many of our clients. Spaniards are among those who eat lunch and dinner the latest in the world so we created this blog post to detail the different eating times customs you will encounter in Spain as well as the shop opening times.

The Timezones explanation

To understand, why Spaniards eat so late, you must know Spain goes by Central European Time (CET), putting it in sync with the Serbian capital Belgrade, more than 2,500 km East of Madrid, while it should be in Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) like the UK and Portugal. So Galicia, which is the most Western region in continental Spain, is about 2h away from its normal sun time. This means the sun rises later and sets later, bestowing Spain with gloriously long summer evenings and 10 pm sunsets.

Consequences on the typical work-day in Spain

The typical Spanish work day begins at 9am and ends around 8 pm with a 2 to 3h lunch break (the vast majority of workers go home for lunch and enjoy a large meal with their family and rest for a while). Prime-time television doesn’t start until 10:30pm. Most people do not go to bed until midnight.

When pilgrims are walking the Camino and staying in municipal Albergues, they tend to get up very early (between 4 and 6 am) and go to bed early (by 9 pm). They do this to ensure they reach the next town and bed before the rest of the crowds but this means walking most of the distance in the dark. 

Your room is booked and is not going anywhere so no need to rush. Just make sure your luggage is at the reception by 8:30 am for the luggage transfer.

Continue reading Eating times and customs in Spain & on the different Caminos de Santiago

STRANGERS ON THE EARTH opens May 4 in New York and June 1 in Los Angeles

STRANGERS ON THE EARTH, a “deeply moving” (NOW Magazine) and “marvelous” (Globe and Mail) documentary film about Europe’s most popular pilgrimage, el Camino de Santiago, debuts in the US after storming across the festival circuit to much acclaim.

Make sure you get your tickets in advance for the opening nights on May 4 in New York and June 1 in Los Angeles (select cities to follow).

23rd of May UPDATE:

Tickets are now available for the June shows in Los Angeles. Tristan Cook will be present for Q&A’s at the following shows:

June 1 @ 7:20pm

June 2 @ 7:20pm

June 3 @ 12pm noon

To book go to laemmle.com/films/43760 

STRANGERS ON THE EARTH – TRAILER

STRANGERS ON THE EARTH dives into the psyches of the myriad intrepid pilgrims who walk the ancient path in search of meaning, notably including Cleveland Orchestra cellist Dane Johansen, who ventured to walk the 600-mile path with his instrument on his back, performing Bach for his fellow travelers along the way.  Continue reading STRANGERS ON THE EARTH opens May 4 in New York and June 1 in Los Angeles

Quotes for women traveling alone on the Camino de Santiago

To celebrate the International Women’s Day, today on March 8th 2018, we would like to congratulate all the brave women pilgrims who have decided to overcome their fear & walk the Camino de Santiago alone or together and share some inspiration quotes about traveling alone.

10 inspirational quotes about solo female travels

  • “I see my path, but I don’t know where it leads. Not knowing where I’m going is what inspires me to travel it.” – Rosalia de Castro (one of Galicia's most precious daughter)
  • “I want to do it because I want to do it. Women must try to do things as men have tried. When they fail, their failure must be but a challenge to others.” - Amelia Earhart
  • “The woman who follows the crowd will usually go no further than the crowd. The woman who walks alone is likely to find herself in places no one has ever been before.” – Albert Einstein
  •  “I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels. Life’s a bitch. You’ve got to go out and kick ass.” - Maya Angelou

  • ‘When you’re traveling with someone else, you share each discovery, but when you are alone, you have to carry each experience with you like a secret, something you have to write on your heart, because there’s no other way to preserve it.” – Shauna Niequist
  • “Traveling solo does not always mean you’re alone. Most often, you meet marvelous people along the way and make connections that last a lifetime.” – Jacqueline Boone
  • “The more I travelled the more I realised that fear makes strangers of people who should be friends” – Shirley MacLaine
  • “If you don’t get out of the box you’ve been raised in, you won’t understand how much bigger the world is.” – Angelina Jolie

  • “How do the geese know when to fly to the sun? Who tells them the seasons? How do we, humans, know when it is time to move on? As with the migrant birds, so surely with us, there is a voice within, if only we would listen to it, that tells us so certainly when to go forth into the unknown.” – Elizabeth Kübler-Ross
  • “Do you really want to look back on your life and see how wonderful it could have been had you not been afraid to live in?” – Caroline MyssLeave your fears behind, follow your dream and you will experience something exceptional.

Happy Women’s Day and Buen Camino to all!

Love from Ultreya Tours