Europe Trip - Camino 2017

Today we all woke excited at what awaited, we were heading to PortAventura, Barcelona's largest theme park. We had a hearty breakfast nice and early so we could begin our day as soon as possible. After breakfast, we headed to the subway and made our way to the central train station, where we then took an hour and a half train ride to the theme park. On arrival we were all excited and amazed by the roller coasters and other rides that we saw. We couldn't wait to experience them. After sorting our tickets and fast passes, we wasted no time and went on our first ride. We went on an array of different rides all providing their own thrill and excitement. One thing we learned today was that all of us students are major thrill seekers, as well as Ms Connor, who did not hesitate to get on any of the rides. After an amazing action packed day we began our train journey back to the hotel. It appeared that we were all exhausted as we were all hit with a bought of tiredness and slept the en...

Tuesday April 18, Today started off well with a 9:00 am sleep in that we all needed after a long day before. It was the first time we had a choice of bacon and eggs, for breakfast in a while, which was great.  After breakfast we headed out so we could catch the subway to the Miro Foundation, exhibiting mainly abstract and surrealist work from Joan Miro, and Alexander Calder, which was enlightening and enjoyable. After about an hour and a half of exploring the art museum we sat down at the cafe and had some lunch.  A good coffee later we left to catch the subway again and headed for the Sagrada Familia. En route we stopped off to admire Gaudi's other magnificent building the "Casa Battlo", a very decorative Art Deco themed building with a colourfully tiled roof.  As we got closer to the Sagrada Familia we weren't sure what to expect. We crossed a small park and suddenly the trees parted and we could see the grandeur and beauty of Gaudis greatest work.  We had a look a...

Today we journeyed to the last destination on our trip, Barcelona. We were up and ready to go to the airport by 6:30am, we were all very excited about heading to Barcelona. Things went smoothly at the airport and our short one and a half hour plane flight seemed to go by in no time.  Upon arrival in Barcelona we were all amazed by the architecture and atmosphere that we experienced. We went to get lunch at a small sandwich shop and then checked into our hotel rooms. We made our way to Barcelona Cathedral and had a look at the stunning structure of the building and went inside a small area for some quiet reflection, after this we headed to explore the gothic quarter in the town. Later we took a visit to Palau Guell,  an amazing metal building designed by Spanish architect and artist Gaudí, the structure incorporating his modern and individually distinctive style. This building was quite different to any of his other designs before. Tomorrow we will be seeing some more of Gaudí...

Today is Easter Sunday. This day marks the resurrection of Jesus Christ and is a religious celebration widely celebrated around the world. We started our morning by receiving letters from our families - this was organised by the wonderful Mrs Wilson. We also received some chocolates. We attended Mass at the Cathedral with many traditions different to those in Australia such as the swinging of the bonufumeiro, the huge incense burner, The Mass was such a wonderful experience as we celebrated with the overflowing gathering of people; including fellow pilgrims of the Camino de Santiago. After the Mass the students and staff were given the afternoon  to explore Santiago de Compostela and to do some shopping. In the late afternoon everyone gathered together and the students were surprised with an Easter egg hunt which was held in the garden at the hotel; Ms Connor was the overall champion. Following the Easter egg hunt everyone - including guests, Mr and Mrs Collins - shared a joint mea...

We had an enjoyable late start to our second day in Santiago de Compostela. Our first stop was to to the Cathedral opposite our hotel. The Hotel Hospederia was originally a part of the Benedictine Monastery where Rosendo Salvado trained and became a Monk. This was before he travelled to Australia to start his work with the Aboriginal people in New Norcia. As we walked through the beautiful cathedral, we visited the crypt where St. James was buried as well as  many other sections of the church in remembrance of Saints along with a memorial to Pope John Paul 11 and Pope Benedict XVl. After visiting the Cathedral, we then moved on to the old church of the Monastery. We viewed the collection of holy art along with old printing equipment and stamps. Whilst exploring the interior of the Monastery, we were able to understand just how old the features were and that it dated back to the twelfth century. It was interesting to appreciate that Salvado, one of our schools house patrons, walked ...

Today was our last day of walking.  On our first day of our pilgrimage we left Tui and today we walked into Santiago De Compestella. It's been a long and rewarding journey. We ventured from Padroń in the morning, beginning Good Friday with the start of the stations of the cross. As we walked along the Camino we also followed Jesus's journey to his crucifixion. Each step of the way we reflected on Jesus's life, teachings and what we can learn from his crucifixion. The walk was 26 kilometres and was the hardest part of the Camino, as our feet were sore and we were all exhausted from the previous 5 days. However, each of us was able to push through as we thought about arriving at Santiago De Compestella and how accomplished we would feel after. Along the walk we stopped at numerous holy places and continued the stations of the cross. When  we arrived in Santiago and we saw the cathedral we all cheered and each of us felt overjoyed and moved, as we finished this long journey to...

Buen Camino Peregrinos de HCC! Enjoy your arrival at the end of your Camino. Have a good and deserved rest in the beautiful Santiago de Compostela.

Today's walk has certainly been different from others. The woods we walked through were full of life and echoing with birds and other animals. Though it was difficult to begin the walk in the morning, after putting ourselves in the mindset of "we could do it" it seemed easy and achievable. The walk seemed bearable even after a poor student was stung by a bee and we resorted to ice cream as pain relief. Arriving into the town, we were eager to just rest but after being told we'd get the chance to see the Easter procession, we became intrigued by the concept. The procession began with men in purple robes and masks parading the streets and banging their drums. The band left us in a state of amazement as to how precise everyone was and the beautiful cross they carried. The drums echoed through the streets and after the cross passed, the music transitioned to a soft and welcoming beat. Though at first it was rather intimidating to be in their midst, I felt as if we got los...

Today started with breakfast at 7.30am and the commencement of our walk at 8.30am. As always our day started with the Pilgrim's Prayer. The day was cold but soon warmed up. Though the day was long it was not as difficult as our walk on day 2. We witnessed some amazing architecture and wonders of nature along the way. During our daily 20 minutes of silence it was a great opportunity to reflect on the experience so far. The pleasure and the pain as well as the great sense of achievement. We had many enjoyable moments with interesting conversation with each of the group members. There is always a sense of great excitement as our hotel comes into sight. As always we paused to give thanks to God for bringing us safely to our destination. A shared meal is always a fitting end to the day. It was then back to the hotel for our final reflection on our walk.

On the third day of our Camino we officially hit the half way mark of our journey. We awoke to a beautiful view of Arcade after a long 26K walk yesterday. After breakfast we headed over to the beautiful church across from our hotel and prayed for a safe journey. We began our Camino with high spirits and heads held high.  As we continued our journey we encountered many pilgrims who were also undertaking the same journey as us, and although there was language barrier between us all, we were able to be connected to them through the simple phrase 'Bon Camino' (good journey). We encountered our first Australian pilgrims today who were from Melbourne and Brisbane, also here to undertake the journey. It was nice to see people as far from home as us for the same purpose.  The scenery we saw today was different to anything we had seen before. The amazing green outskirts and farms that we walked through were more rural than the previous walks on this journey and it was amazing to see th...

Today was a fairly long day but we started early. We left before  8:00 am in the morning so that we could walk as much of the section as possible before it got too hot. It was a good start and and the scenery was magnificent,  passing through old towns and little houses. We stopped for some tea and coffee at a local cafe  where a couple of us tried out our skills with a couple games of fooseball. We started again after not too long and continued our journey later starting our 20 minutes of silence which gave us all a chance to walk with our thought  and have some peace and quiet whilst reflecting and listening to nature. Spirits were high for most of the time until the last 5/6 kilometres where the students and teachers alike started to get weary. We were close to the town of Arcade but those last few hills looked like mountains. After arriving in the town we spent a while looking for our hotel going back and forth over a bridge and asking a few locals but when we ma...

Buen Camino Peregrinos!

Today was the official start of the adventure that we came all this way to complete. To begin this amazing experience we were blessed to have Father Gonzalez serenade us by the statue of Dom Salvado. The Palm Sunday procession was a very moving ceremony and it was an honour to spend the morning with such an amazing town full of dedicated people. The walk alongside the archbishop and bishop was an added bonus and something that can be held close to our hearts. The traditions of the Palm Sunday mass were quite different to what we are used to in Australia but we were still able to understand the prayers and the meaning of the mass. At the conclusion of the mass we began the physical part of our pilgrimage. With a skip in our step we headed on to O' Porrino in high spirits. Throughout the day we enjoyed beautiful scenes and silent time with nature. As we neared the end of our first leg, we pushed through our hardships and struggles to reach our desired destination. As we did during th...

Today we spent the beginning of our day in the beautiful town of Tui located along the border of Spain and Portugal. With a late start to the morning, our first stop was the street named after Bishop Rosendo Salvado, Routa Bispo Salvado. Shortly after, we toured Tui Cathedral as well as the rooftop, overlooking the historical town. The group then moved on to a Camino gift store where we all  purchased the Camino shell, a symbol of pilgrimage originating from the belief that St. James' body was covered in scallop shells. We then took a short break, and sat down at the Oscar Romero cafe and enjoyed a small bite to eat and something to drink. Whilst sitting down, Ms Connor notified us that we would have two hours to explore the small town of Tui on our own! We sat down and read the Camino iBook reflecting on the journey that we would shortly make, and the various reasons why people choose to make these pilgrimages. We then crossed back into Portugal, the two countries separated by a n...

Lisbon has been amazing. The lights, the music and the atmosphere seemed to radiate such joy and inspiration. Everything about Lisbon was luring and brilliant, but crossing over the bridge into Spain it was as if we could draw a physical line between the two countries. Seeing the countryside from the train inspired me to write and journal the moment. In Tui, I feel a sense of calm, and slowness unlike Lisbon.  In Tui everything's at a slow pace and that aura came to us when we arrived at Salvado's statue. The area seemed still and calm although people surrounded us. Most of the time I was amazed by the fact that such a hidden gem rested right outside the fast life in Lisbon we had been experiencing.  Due to the day being my 16th birthday, I enjoyed everything that I experienced, from seeing the Camino shells that were made out of lights and were hanged over the streets, to the amazingly beautiful church down the road. Realising the church was thousands of years old was incredi...

6  April 2017 Our first offical day on our trip we spent in Lisbon, Portugal. We started our morning with breakfast in our hotel which overlooks a beautiful square. Lisbon is vibrant with all the buildings multi coloured and plastered with amazing mosaics, making each one unique. After our breakfast, we headed to the St Jorge Castle, an heritage castle which gives you a great view of the city of Portugal. Next, we went to the Cathedral, which had beautiful architecture. After, we took a tuktut to the Belem Tower, which looked over the water and then we walked over to the St Jerome Monastery. The monastery had beautiful grounds and the church was grand with amazing stained glass. Our day in Lisbon was great, spending it sight seeing and admiring the historical sites and unique buildings. Today was definitely one to remember.         

 

 Hasta la vista

 Getting excited