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Spain y el Camino

March - May 2024
A 62-day adventure by Rachael Read more
  • 23footprints
  • 1countries
  • 62days
  • 174photos
  • 1videos
  • 6.8kmiles
  • 4.9kmiles
  • 437miles
  • 49miles
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  • TravelerSpain y el Camino
    Day 2

    KCI-MAD, first day in Spain

    March 22 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 77 °F

    It’s been a whirlwind couple of days. Yesterday morning I was at home about to leave on this adventure. Now I’m climbing into bed after a sleepless overnight plane ride (typical for me), sampling gluten free foods in Madrid, and a little downtime.Read more

  • TravelerSpain y el Camino
    1
    Day 2–4

    Madrid & roadtrippin’

    March 22 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 73 °F

    We explored Madrid a bit more, rested from travel, and did a tapas cooking class. It was delicious and I’m excited to try the recipes at home! Then we picked up a rental car and drove 5 hours to Málaga, stopping to see the windmills of Don Quixote fame. The Spanish major in me loved it.Read more

  • TravelerSpain y el Camino
    Day 4–8

    Málaga, Córdoba, end of the road trip

    March 24 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 57 °F

    We stayed in a lovely Airbnb along one of the beaches off Malaga. We explored Málaga, had a day trip to Córdoba, and then road-tripped through Almería and Alicante to Donostia-San Sebastián. Driving in another country isn’t for the faint of heart!Read more

  • TravelerSpain y el Camino
    Day 13

    First day of Camino: SJPDP to Valcarlos

    April 2 in Spain ⋅ 🌬 61 °F

    I arrived in St Jean Pied de Port (SJPDP) yesterday with what felt like 100 other pilgrims on a small train. It was a bit overwhelming, but after picking up my credential and getting a spot in a hostel, I was able to get the alone time I needed. Today I walked 8 miles to Valcarlos. It was a tiring and fun day. Many walked an additional 7 miles, so it was an exercise in slowing down for me. The inn host tonight is wonderful, as is her puppy Bambam.Read more

  • TravelerSpain y el Camino
    Day 14

    Valcarlos a Orreaga/Roncesvalles

    April 3 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 59 °F

    I’m glad the Camino started with a good day, because today was a beat down. I got a bit late of a start at just after 9. I knew that it would be a lot of uphill, but I had no idea! I’m not sure the accuracy of this, but I found online that over the course of the 7.5 miles I walked, there was an elevation gain of 3,940 feet with a loss of 2,011 ft. I began using a mantra to keep myself going “poco a poco, paso a paso.” I’d keep my head down, pick a spot a bit up the trail, walk there, stop for a short breather. Repeat ad nauseam. Also, thank God for earbuds and iPhones- I was able to listen to some upbeat music, which helped. And just when I thought the uphill would never end, the trail let out onto a beautiful hilltop (unfortunately, I didn’t stay to enjoy it- nature was calling and it’s not the sort of place to dig a cat hole!)

    Check in to the albergue was easy, though a poor French girl in front of me was denied a bed as she didn’t have her physical passport on her. I bought food tickets for breakfast and dinner, but the assigned restaurant said they couldn’t accommodate celiac. Fortunately the next one I went to said they could, so I got the tickets changed. I’m a little nervous about how well they’ll do, as it’s a small place with probably hundreds of pilgrims. Prayers that they get it right and that my body does ok with the food!

    Only a few pictures today and no video because I was dead. Hoping for a good night’s sleep before a long day tomorrow- less elevation, so it shouldn’t be too bad 🤞    Read more

  • TravelerSpain y el Camino
    11
    Day 15

    Days 3 & 4: Roncesvalles-Zubiri-Pamplona

    April 4 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 68 °F

    After the brutal walk to Roncesvalles, yesterday was a nice change. Still some uphill, but not unrelenting as before. But we all know that going down can be just as hard! The rock here is crazy- it literally cuts diagonal, so as you go down, you have to skirt rock edges. That was a tiring end to the longest day I’ve had yet (and the furthest I’ve ever carried a loaded pack- 13.4mi).

    Today was a slightly shorter walk to Pamplona. There was no breakfast or coffee available in Zubiri this morning, so the cafe just over 5 miles in was so welcome! I’m learning to take breaks that last longer than 3 minutes (always pushing to the end without adequate rest along the day is a big struggle for me). I’m still working on slowing down and not feeling like it’s a race with everyone else- this whole walk is about the journey after all! I’ve noticed that my body feels better when I walk a little slower.

    So far only one blister, but it’s making itself a bit of a nuisance. It’s growing, despite my best efforts. Muscles are sore, but not too painful. Finding food is a bit of a pain- I nearly cried when I saw the Greek yogurt and a gluten free section in the grocery store tonight. After eating Spanish food for the last couple weeks, it’s nice to have some variety. Dinner tonight was Burger King- I haven’t had a fast food burger in over a year, and boy did it hit the spot!

    Pamplona is the biggest place I’ve been so far on the Camino. It’s nice to have all of amenities of a city available.

    In an effort to make the walk easier, I mailed a package of some things ahead to pick up at a post office. Hopefully a lighter load tomorrow makes the walk easier. I’d been thinking of staying 2 nights in Pamplona, but the albergue I’m at is full tomorrow.

    I finally felt like being social and have met a lot of people! Tried my little French, kind of had a very basic convo in German. Lots of Aussies, Americans, Germans, Koreans, French, and many others.    Read more

  • TravelerSpain y el Camino
    Day 18

    Days 5&6: Pampola a Puente de la Reina

    April 7 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 66 °F

    I walked about 15 miles from Pamplona to the medieval city of Puente de la Reina (Queen’s bridge). After another poor night of sleep, it was a difficult start. It seems like every day, I vacillate between wanting to quit and head home and loving the experience. I’m missing home and my pets, the ease of having a kitchen where I can cook whatever I want without having to worry about how I’ll carry any leftovers the next day, air conditioning, etc. When I walked into Puente, I realized that I’d booked the inn room for the wrong night. The staff were so kind and didn’t charge me for the mistake (possibly helped because I wanted to stay for two nights so I could have a rest day).

    Walking into my tiny room, I was so happy- a double size bed, ceiling fan, private bathroom! The bed is comfy and the pillows are good. I slept 9 hours that night, then the next day did laundry today and took a 3 hour nap. My feet have been hurting quite a bit. In Pamplona, I bought some new insoles with the hope that they’ll help- I forgot to switch out insoles before leaving for the Camino and the current ones are worn out.

    I met a couple of Spaniards while on the Camino. The first night in Puente, they saw me and invited me to join them for a drink. I debated, mostly because I was nervous I wouldn’t understand much, but decided to stay. It ended up being a lot of fun! They were very patient with my Spanish being slower. While I didn’t catch everything they said, I did better than I’d anticipated. Glad I got outside of my comfort zone a bit!    Read more

  • TravelerSpain y el Camino
    Day 19

    Day 7: Puente de la Reina a Estella

    April 8 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 55 °F

    Let’s talk about smells. I had no idea. The beginning of the Camino passes livestock farms, so there manure from sheep, horses, cows, pigs. Now I’ve passed into more agricultural land, and there’s a smell that somehow reminds me of home. There’s some sort of plant that smells like mothballs or an elderly person’s home. There’s the sweet smell of new flowers in bloom, freshly mowed grass. There’s the familiar but not nice smell of sweaty people and clothing that’s been stuffed into a pack all day. So many smells.

    Now let’s talk about switchbacks. It seems that Spain did not get the message that switchbacks are a great way to go up and down steep hills and mountains. At best, the path wanders some; at worst, it follows the incline of the terrain. My joints are doing pretty well except for when I’m going down, down, down. Then my knees protest a bit!

    The insoles have helped a ton! I felt today like I’m finally hitting my stride. It was still hard to get going this morning, probably taking me 2 miles or so before I started to enjoy myself. But after that, I felt good! Tonight I’m staying in a parochial albergue, which are donation-based. There are 16 of us in the room and we’ve been told there’s a wake-up call at 6:30am (it seems like most people get up at 6a, so that shouldn’t be an issue).    Read more

  • TravelerSpain y el Camino
    1
    Day 20

    Day 8: Estella a Los Arcos

    April 9 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 50 °F

    It’s an odd thing, staying in albergues. It kind of feels like summer camp, except the “campers” are 20-70 year olds who all speak different languages and may never meet again. Tonight’s roommates are a young Romanian medical student, a mid-20s French guy who wants to study Japanese cooking, and a probably late-20s American teacher. Next door is a group of South Koreans, one of whom snores quite loudly. That’s another common occurrence- when you’ve got adults sleeping in the same space, there’s always someone snoring. Thankfully, I can sleep through noise pretty well and have some good ear plugs. Showers also feel like camp- there’s a tiny shower cubicle with no guarantee of hot water. Sometimes there’s a private small space next to it to get dressed in, but you have to try to keep your clean clothes dry while changing.

    The last couple of days I’ve been catching up on the Bible plan I’m following this year, The Bible Recap. As I walk everyday and listen to Genesis, Numbers, Leviticus, and Ruth, I think of how God showed his never ending faithfulness. And I think that maybe this time isn’t so much for me to have immediate divine wisdom but to grow my faith more. The walk is early (though I’m close to 20% done!), I still have a long way to go and plenty of time to understand more.

    A couple highlights from the day: I went to the wine fountain, which is put on by a local bodega. It was a bit early for wine, so I didn’t have more than a sip. I saw some beautiful landscapes today, met some guys from the Canary Islands who were impressed by me carrying my pack and doing it solo (and who said to let them know if I’m ever on their island), and had a nice dinner with the current roommates.    Read more

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