El Camino

I’m back in Barcelona after a long and incredible journey along the Camino de Santiago! Lauren and I had the best time together discovering more about the Camino, Spain, and ourselves. We saw the most incredible towns and views, met interesting and kind people, ate and cooked delicious foods, and bonded together as friends. As the days passed we got accustomed to the routine of waking at 7am, walking 15-20 miles, eating, sleeping, and repeating. It is the kind of routine suitable of a pilgrim on the Camino. However, we did break some days of the routine by touring the town we were in or grabbing a cervesa in a plaza. We met some great people on our journey that we would keep running into at the various stops. To my surprise, there were a few other Texans we ended up meeting (what a small world!). One group of pilgrims we met invited us to join them for sunset yoga which was very much welcomed by our sore and tired muscles. I soon learned that above all this journey is a physical challenge and the first few days were the hardest. The weather was awesome and it never rained on us once. We stayed in several beautiful and small towns along the way; each with their own charms and odd quirks. It was such a satisfying feeling being able to move myself from place to place with just my two feet. As the days passed, I forgot about the cars and bikes and focused on my steps. I loved seeing the yellow arrows and shell symbol carry us forward through Northern Spain toward Santiago. It was always comforting once we saw one of these trail markers especially after running into them during my other travels in Spain. Even though Lauren and I are still nursing our tired and blistered feet, I feel so proud of us for doing what we did. I remember finally getting to Galicia, the region of Spain that Santiago is in, and feeling so proud of our decision to hike the Camino. We stayed that first night in Galicia in O Cebreiro, a small village on top of a mountain with the most spectacular views. The hike up to this town was a challenge and it was very hot. Once we had put our things down and showered, we bought ourselves some refreshing Schweppes Limón and sat with views overlooking what we had just walked that day. We could see mountains in the distance spotted with slicing white windmills, deep green and brown valleys of vineyards, and small clumps of villages nestled within the valleys. It was truly incredible and the best reward.

Now that I am back in Barcelona, I am already missing the solidarity of the Camino. As tourist season is now fully underway, the city has become instantly more crowded.  I returned a few days earlier than planned and was able to spend some time in Tarragona with one of my best friends Katherine. It was so nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of Barcelona and go relax on the beach in Tarragona. It was a great time to recharge the batteries after walking every day.

It was truly a dream to walk the Camino and it was even more awesome to fulfil my dream. The Camino had always been a dream for me but never would I have thought I would find the time and the right person to hike it with. I’ll always have that experience with Laruen and I cannot wait to go back to the Camino one day again.