Tag: spain

One of the rituals of the Camino is to get an ink stamp in your peregrino credential book at every albergue you stay at. Folks also get them at cathedrals, restaurants, and other sites along the walk. The purpose is to prove that you’ve indeed walked the camino, so you can get (for €3) your…

The symbol of the Camino is the scallop shell. It started back in the day as a way for pilgrims to prove they made it to Santiago (which isn’t on the ocean, but whatever). It’s also a nice symbol to show that all Caminos (there are lots in Spain, and many throughout Europe) lead to…

One tactic to try and avoid the Easter week crowds was to get out on the Camino before the sun rose. I disliked walking in the dark — you miss all the beauty you’re walking through. But the reward was a moonlit sky A beautiful sunrise And no crowds, right?

The Camino started getting very, very crowded after Sarria in Galicia. It was Holy Week, and Spaniards get the week off, so they showed up in droves for the nice, easy 110km/5-day Camino Frances finale into Santiago. So normally Jesper🇸🇪, Lucia🇮🇹, Vanni🇮🇹, and I🇺🇸 would have nobody behind us in a pic like this, but…

You’re outside all the time on the Camino, but you really don’t see much wildlife. I think the only animals I’ve seen are farm ones, and that’s not even every day. When I do see them, however, I’m continually surprised that they speak Spanish (and I don’t). If you say “hey” or “yo” or “hi”…

It took me awhile to figure out my perfect order (and how to say it), but it’s pretty much now the first thing I say every morning at the magical, ubiquitous Spanish cafe/bars: “Cafe Americano, doble, grande, por favor”. They sometimes ask me something in Spanish after I order, and I never have any idea…

We’re always walking west, but early in the morning you always had to turn around

We peregrinos all leave the Albergues at different times in the morning. Sometimes you walk alone; sometimes you walk with people you know; sometimes you walk with new people. But we’re all following roughly the same schedule, and stopping in the same towns, so we see & hang out with the same folks all the…

The terrain & scenery changes every day on the Camino, but the change was specially dramatic after climbing and crossing into Galicia It becomes lush & green, filled with rock-wall lined paths Absurdly beautiful at times

Week four on the Camino. We’ll be wrapping things up soon 😔

Sometimes the terrain we walk through seems fake, like it’s a perfectly staged set. I think I actually said those exact words to a fellow peregrino when I took this pic.

The terrain gets hilly, and towns get much more rustic on the western edge of Castilla y Leon. Things are still beautiful, in a small-town Spain way, though. Until you look closer, revealing a potentially sinister undercurrent:

Something you see all the time throughout Spain, and on the Camino, are giant stork nests atop all the cathedrals. They very visible in this pic because the building wasn’t that tall (places get smaller & poorer West of Burgos).

Walking west out of Burgos takes you into the flatness of Castilla y León, where you could sometimes see your entire days walk ahead of you

Week three on the Camino. All weeks kinda look the same 📈

Walking the Camino, and Spain in general, is really cheap: • €0 = walking the Camino • €3 = getting peregrino credentials that enable you to stay in peregrino Albergues • €7-15 = bed for the night in an Albergue dorm room • €30-35 = private room in peregrino Hostal (totally needed after about a…

Sometimes we walk on roads. Sometimes we walk on dirt roads. Sometimes there’s a beautiful old village in the distance. Sometimes there are snow-capped mountains in the far distance. Sometimes you can see all of that in one picture.

One of the stories you heard a lot in the early Camino was that there was a winery on the trail that had a fountain of free red wine. It seemed mythical. It also turned out to be true, mostly. There is indeed a free tap of wine at this winery, but it’s only open…

I’m not sure I’ve ever eaten as much bread in my life as I have here in Spain. It’s served with every meal, and as a hungry peregrino I always want to empty the basket. My favorite are the bocadillos, $2-3 sandwiches filled with sparse amounts of ham, sausage, cheese, or, ideally, tortilla de potato.…

I know a common theme is me complaining about pictures, but it’s so hard. Ex: All these pics were taken within a few hours of each other. Which is best? I’ll never know.

Week two on the Camino

We peregrinos, pilgrims, normally stay in Albergues while on the Camino. They’re hostels specifically built and/or run for us, and are much cheaper than normal places. The cheapest are the ones run by the village/town/city, normally €8-12 for a bed in a dorm. Yep, that’s cheap, but the real cost is the quality of life…

I’m taking too many pictures. I’m glad I am, but it makes it so hard at the end of each day to decide which ones to post. It makes it even harder that the iPhone takes such stunning photos, even in the evening. In support of this I present this picture, flippantly taken on the…

The ramen of Spain is tortilla de patata, and I’ve been eating it pretty much every day. It pairs especially well with $2 beers.

First seven days on the Camino. Wow. Amazing that 16 miles is the “shortest” day. And that big number on top is from today, so this next seven is looking like more of the same.

I’m really struggling to figure out a good way to capture the scenery & experience of the Camino without just posting a bazillion pics, none of which seem to capture it. It’s just so amazing, and breathtaking, and varied, yet consistent. This pic is as good as any to try to summarize in one image:…

It’s not only humans on the Camino