They say, “once you’re on The Camino, you’re on The Camino.”
I first heard about The Camino de Santiago from a dear friend I had met in my first visit to Costa Rica. She had brought it up often and referred to it as one of the best experiences of her life.
Who wouldn’t want one of the best experiences of their lives?
Months had passed, and I hadn’t put much thought into doing it again - it was in the back of my head but planning it in the near future seemed unlikely.
It was when my mom brought up The Camino over Christmas that it just fell into place - my mom and I were going to do The Camino de Santiago together. Just 9 months from that discussion, we were in Saint Jean Piet de Port getting our first pilgrimage stamp.
My grandma, my mom’s mom, was a big international traveler. She had completed The Milford Trek in New Zealand, all 5 Hawaiian Islands, The Coast to Coast Walk in England, sections of The Colorado Trail, & more. This walk has also been a tribute to her.
What is The Camino de Santiago?
“The Camino” has many routes through Spain, Portugal & even Japan. The Camino de Santiago is the original and most popular - it’s popular due to St. James, who was the original walker of this path in medieval times. With strong Catholic origins, you are not required to be religious to hike. Many different reasonings for hiking The Camino are heard and welcomed.
Passport
Pilgrim Passport
Walking Shoes
Tevas
Flip Flops
Chargers
Medicine
Toothpaste
Deodorant
Arnica Gel
4 pairs of socks - 2 pairs of toe socks, 2 pairs of regular. All wool! Toe socks and wool help prevent blisters
Blister care
Puffer jacket
Rain gear
2 pairs of biker shorts
1 pair of leggings
3 shirts
1 long sleeve, UV layer
Hat
Sheet for hostel beds
Towel
Ankle and knee braces
Dress for night out (actually bought this in Pamplona)
Hairbrush
Hair ties
Jewelry
Sunglasses
Fanny Pack
Headphones
Daypack
Water bottle
Eye Mask
Toothpaste tablets
Bonnet for my hair
Europe Charger Adapter
Headlamp
KT tape
August 24 & 25, 2024
We flew from Colorado to Chicago to Lisbon to Paris. Whew! I used Going to book this flight, as I always do. Although the layovers were slightly a doozy - this flight cost us only 60% of normal flights to Europe, so we made do!
We arrived in Paris on August 25 at around 2 pm. We checked into our hotel, did some sightseeing, and called it a night. Jet lag got the best of me - last time I had been in Europe, 5 years prior, I didn’t experience jet lag one bit. So, this was new to me! Ode to getting old.
August 26, 2024
We decided to spend a full day in Paris to acclimate to the time difference and give ourselves a break after a full day of traveling. We slept in, went to The Notre Dame and The Louvre, took another little siesta, and then ended the day at The Eiffel Tower! This was especially cool because the Olympics had just ended, and they were preparing for the Paralympics. We could see the stadium from the top of The Eiffel Tower, and there was even an installation of the Olympic rings on the side!
August 27, 2024
We took a train from Paris to St Jean Piet de Port through Rail Europe. This is where the route we took, Frances, begins. The train was uneventful with one transfer, took about 5 hours in total. We saw beautiful French countryside along the way and the first train even had a refreshment cabin.
Once we arrived in St Jean Piet de Port, we grabbed some food to eat - a delicious spread of fries, ham, local sheep’s milk cheese, and a tomato dish (I forgot the name of). It was very tasty. From there, we checked into our hostel and made our way to the Pilgrim’s office. At the Pilgrim’s office, we received our first stamp (you get one every day from various places), received information and maps on our route, and were assured we could do this! Buen Camino!
August 28, 2024
Our first leg. St Jean Piet de Port, France to Roncesvalles, Spain. This route was roughly 25 km or 16 miles. It was very steep. I mean, very steep. The guidebooks tell you this, but since my mom and I were from Colorado, we took this piece of information lightly. The route presented many false summits and no descent until the last 4 km.
The best part about the route was the views, however! With this incline, we were brought to the top of The Pyrenees mountains. This desolate scenery was filled with horses, sheep, goats, cows & more. The fog filled the air and provided an eerie feel. The sunrise hit the hills just perfect as we began our ascent. A hostel/ restaurant on the way provided warm soup, egg & potato tortilla, and espresso.
Mom was hurting a bit with the length and terrain - but we made it through. The Albergue, or hostel, in Roncesvalles was booked, so we stayed in a different one in Burguete-Auritz. We both didn’t want to walk another foot so we called a taxi from the ending point in Roncesvalles and will have the taxi drop us off at the same point in the morning, so we aren’t skimping mileage.
Our hostel has a well-stocked vending machine where we gorged on TV dinners and chips and cookies. We couldn’t be bothered to leave the hostel to search for other nourishment. There was also a washer and dryer which was nice. We each only packed 3 outfits, more or less, but I already decided the one I wore today was my favorite one. It prevented chafing, helped with sun protection, and I could wear a bra without looking like a mad woman (bras hurt my shoulders after a while, especially on top of carrying a pack, ok?) What a great first day!
August 29, 2024
Roscenvalles to Zubiri - roughly 22 km or 13.7 miles. The path was met with familiar faces from the day before, eager to continue the voyage.
Most of the trail was smooth sailing - up until the tail end. The end of the trail has incredible rock formations, beautiful to the eyes but not so much for the feet. With rain from earlier in the day, these rocks were not only jagged and eroded but slippery and prone to injury.
An elderly man on The Camino slipped on the rocks and made it out ~mostly~ unscathed, luckily.
As I’m writing this, we are now on September 1st - so the memories of this day are not as clear. As the days go on, the journey begins to blend together…
August 30, 2024
Zibiri to Pamplona - 20.4 km or 13 miles.
This day, my mom and I both started to hurt a little more.
As I had lived in Costa Rica for the prior 6 months, I mostly walked barefoot. When I tried on my Hoka trail runners again in preparation for the hike, the muscles I developed in my feet from barefoot walking rejected these heavily supported trainers.
Given that, I decided to invest in a pair of “barefoot” shoes, or zero drops. I went with Xero brand because they had a brick-and-mortar store in Denver, and I figured I could get some advice and try on different pairs while I was in town before our departure.
While they had a wide selection, I was honestly disappointed in the customer service and guidance on what I needed. More or less, I decided on a pair and LOVED them. Or, so I thought.
My barefoot tennis shoes did great in short distances - but the lengthy mileage per day on The Camino, many of the miles being on paves or stone roads, resulted in very achey, swollen, and sore feet by about 75% of the way through the day.
I thought this was normal for the mileage and had nothing to do with my shoe choice. However, something called me to inquire further.
I searched for posts in The Camino de Santiago page on Facebook regarding barefoot shoes - and I found a post where multiple people contributed. The common theme was that even with barefoot shoe experience, the length and terrain of The Camino was no match.
With this information in mind, I decided to buy a new pair of shoes in Pamplona.
Pamplona was a big enough city to have such a store - I didn’t want to lose my opportunity.
I found a store with Merrell's and other such hiking/ running shoes. Luckily, my Spanish has gotten good enough where I could converse with the associate about my needs and wants. She didn’t speak English but was very helpful in my unfavorable Spanish tongue.
I bought a new pair of shoes and instantly in my gut felt this was the right choice. However, some knee pain began to occur with these shoes, which I think is a result of too much cushion. There’s a theory with barefoot shoes that joint pain is lessened. You win some, you lose some…
August 31, 2024
We decided to take an off day, or as my mom likes to call it - a wandering day, in Pamplona.
Pamplona is the city known for the running of the bull's event, although this wasn’t occurring at this time of the year.
We decided to book a hotel instead of a hostel/ Albergue, and yes - even treated ourselves to a massage. Everyone’s Camino is different, ok? 😂
We explored the towns sights such as Cafe Iruna - Hemmingway's famous favorite cafe. We also found a gluten free pasta restaurant - La Taglietta - which we obviously had to stop in for dinner. Overall, a great and rejuvenating day.
September 1, 2024
On the road again! Today, we went from Pamplona to Uterga. 17.2 km or 10.7 miles. A lighter day for us, but necessary all things considered. Furthermore, a fellow pilgrim recommended this Albergue in Uterga - Camino Del Perdón. Amazing! Great food and menus, great with allergies, and beautiful facilities.
The path today had some hills - ups and downs - but also led us to the famous pilgrim sculpture at the top of one of the hills, accompanied by windmills. A great day, and my new shoes didn’t cause any blisters or hot spots which was a miracle as they were not broken in.
September 2, 2024
Uterga to Estella - 28.8 km or 18 miles. This was a long day. We didn’t anticipate this long of a trek - in fact, we had already booked and paid for a room in Lorca - which was only 18 km or 11 miles. However, did you know there are two Lorca’s in Spain? Yeah, we didn’t either… so, you guessed it, our reservation was in the wrong Lorca. I was happy to knock out a long day, but mom was hurting by the end of it (understandably). We stayed at Hostal El Volante. They said they had a restaurant downstairs, but when we arrived, they were not open. We ended up grabbing premade items for dinner from the local gas station. The section of the city we stayed in was more industrial, we walked through the other section of town on the way through and it looked more elegant - cobblestone roads and old buildings.
September 3, 2024
Estella to Los Arcos - 21.5 km or roughly 13.5 miles. We stayed at Apartamentos Jurramendi and had dinner at a restaraunt nearby called "Bar Restaurante Mavi". This restaraunt was recommended by our apartment host and had a nice pilgrims menu.
September 4, 2024
Los Arcos to Viana - 18.1 km or 11.25 miles. We stayed in another apartment this day, but only because we couldn't find two beds at any other albergue nearby. Our apartment had a nice deck and laundry machine, as well as a kitchen which had a few things left for us - bread, meat, cheese. There was a public pool nearby that they left us tickets for, but we were far too tired to go swimming after our day of walking. We were starting to feel tired at this point and itching for another break... our bodies were surely adjusting though, but a rest day wouldn't hurt.
September 5, 2024
Viana to Logrono - 9.8 km or 6 miles.
My ankles began to act up from an injury I didn’t let heal properly in high school, so we took a short day. You know when you inevitably had that one relative who said to you during sports: “you’re going to feel that when you’re older?” Yes, yes you will.
I also want to blame the barefoot/ regular shoe debacle. My ankles and knees don’t hurt one bit when I wear my barefoot shoes. BUT the soles and bottoms of my feet begin to hurt at about 60% way through the day. However, when I wear my “regular” treaded shoes (Merrell's in this case), my ankles and knees hurt almost immediately. Thus, I carry 4 pairs of shoes total (yes, you read that right) to be able to flip flop (no pun intended) amongst the lot of them.
September 6, 2024
Logrono rest/ workday.
Not only did we want to further give me ankle a break, but I also had some work to do this day, so it worked out. I had a client for my fertility business and had to have stable connection and a level of professionalism with my background and energy levels I was proud of. Furthermore, I had an interview for an exciting opportunity that fell into my lap! I love when the universe works its magic.
I also got a new piercing I had been wanting! Not sure why I decided to send it on this trip, but I did & I love it.
I also ended up having an interview this day for the job that landed me in Peru!
September 7, 2024
Logrono to Ventosa - 19.3 km or 12 miles.
This is the sweet spot for my mom mileage wise. I’m trying to push for slightly more, but I agree, more than 16 miles a day and I am hurting myself.
We stayed at Albergue San Saturnino and it was outstanding! Very clean, very affordable & even came with proper sheets and blankets on the bed. Additionally, they had a beautiful garden with a fountain. I enjoyed basking in the sun and grounding my feet in the grass in the garden.
Today was the first day that we shipped our bags. My ankles kept acting up, and my moms back began acting up. We thought that we would rather complete the trail shipping our bags than have to cut it short or take way longer carrying our bags. Something had to change, so why not try it? During this stretch of the camino, it's 5 Euros per day to ship your bag. A company picks it up from your hostel and takes it to the nexy city you designate on a paper attached to your bag. You WhatsApp them your pickup location each night for the following day as well. Overall, a very easy process.
September 8, 2024
Ventosa to Ciruena - 25.3 km. Ciruena was a creepy town with a bunch of abandoned condominiums and a giant golf course... We stayed at Albergue Victoria, which almost seemed like a townhouse in England. We had a private room, and there was a family style dinner at night. They had gluten free pasta and bread! The food was fabulous. They also had breakfast in the morning. There was nothing noteworthy about this town, however.
I'd say the only noteworthy things were the people we ran into! I don't think I've talked at all about the people we've met on the Camino yet. At our albergue, this couple from Michigan ended up staying at as well that we kept running into. The husband is a pastor in a christian denominational church, and the wife is a retired nurse. They were older than my mom, but probably not by more than ten years. They were sweet, especially the wife. We kept in touch for the rest of the camino because we only crossed paths for 4 or 5 days and then we picked up more mileage and left their pace, but they eventually completed the Camino as well! They added me to their family group WhatsApp for Camino updates haha so cute. There was also this guy, maybe around my age, who we crossed paths with around the same time who my mom and I called Jesus. He looked like Jesus. I mean, he had the traditional white cloth outfit, sandals, bald with facial hair. The only big difference in appearance was that he also had a septum piercing... he was from France and actually started his Camino in Paris!
September 9, 2024
Ciruena to Castildelgado - 18.1 km or 11.2 miles
We stayed at Albergue Bideluze, no complaints.
September 10, 2024
Castildelgado to Villafranca Montes de Oca - 22 km or 13.7 miles
We stayed at Albergue San Anton Abad, no complaints.
September 11, 2024
Villafranca Montes de Oca to Cardeñuela Riopico - 24.3 km or 15 miles
We stayed at Albergue Via Minera. It had a great pool which was refreshing after the long day, and a family style dinner. The family style dinner was nice to connect with people. The rooms could have been cleaner, but no complaints.
At this point, we were starting to get our groove. Longer days felt easier and more tolerable, and we started to get to know more and more people on the trail. I typically spent 50% of the day in silence or talking to my mom, 25% of the day listening to audiobooks and 25% of the day listening to music.
September 12, 2024
Cardeñuela Riopico to Tardajos - 25.2 km or 15.65 miles
On this day, we stayed at Albergue La Fábrica - it was like a hotel. It had a great private room for great price and great pilgrim dinner menu. A little off The Camino but nothing terrible.
September 13, 2024
Tardajos to Castrojeriz - 28.8 km or 17.9 miles.
We stayed at Albergue Casa Nostra - it was ok but nothing great. We found a local pizza place which was amazing and had great views. I was hanging out with some friends my age that were also walking The Camino, we went to a local bar after dinner and it had really cool vibes.
Our bags accidentally got shipped to the municipal or donation based albergue, the manager was very nice.
September 14, 2024
Castrojerz to Fromista - 25.3 km or 15.7 miles.
Everything was booked out, so we had to get an expensive hotel, but it was nice. The local church had an opera singer performing a free concert, a lot of pilgrims went.
September 15, 2024
Fromista to Carrion de los Condes - 19 km or 11.8 miles.
The options for today were long - 19 km or 35 km. We're getting our groove with 25 km more or less a day so 19 felt a little short, but 35 felt way too long... Carrion de los Condes was a cute town. We stayed at a nun commune - Albergue Casa de Espiritualidad Neustra Senora Belen R.R. Filipenses. We had a private room and were told we were the first pilgrims of the night! Which surprised us because places were starting to fill up. Overall, a good stay. We bought more layers too as it was beginning to get cold.
September 16, 2024
Carrion de los Condes to Terradillos de los Templarios - 26.4 km or 16.4 miles
At this point in the trip, my mom was over bunk rooms. But the only room left was a quad room in Albergue Los Templarios. It had a great laundry service and pilgrim menu.
September 17, 2024
Terradillos de los Templarios to Bercianos del Real Camino. 23.3 km or 14.48 miles.
Honestly, I didn't do great at journaling and am writing this back retroactively - not much to report as I don't remember much...
September 18, 2024
Bercianos del Real Camino to Reliegos - 20.4 km or 12.68 miles
September 19, 2024
Reliegos to Leon - 24.6 km or 15.29 miles. We were very ready for a rest day at this point.
September 20, 2024
A much-needed rest day in Leon at an Airbnb.
The Airbnb had a bathtub so I absolutely took advantage of that with some Epsom salts.
We also did some laundry, walked around town, and I even got a haircut!
We treated ourselves to some Asian food as well, which was hard to find in Spain.
September 21, 2024
Leon to San Martin del Camino - 25 km or 15.5 miles.
We stayed at Albergue Santa Ana, pretty uneventful.
September 22, 2024
San Martin del Camino to Astorga - 24.8 km or 15.41 miles.
September 23, 2024
Astorga to Foncebadon - 25.4 km or 15.78 miles.
September 24, 2024
Foncebadon to Ponferrada - 26.7 km or 16.59 miles.
We stayed at Hotel Los Templarios.
September 25, 2024
Ponfederrada to Villafranca del Bierzo - 23.6 km or 14.66 miles.
We stayed at Hostel El Campano.
September 26. 2024
Villafranca del Bierzo to O Cebreiro - 28.4 km or 17.65 miles.
We started hurting this day. I came down with a respiratory infection of some sort, and it was raining HARD. All day. We almost caved and got a taxi, but we made it through. All of the albergues were sold out in O Cebreiro, however, so we had to get a hostel in the next town over, which we did take a taxi to as it wasn't on The Camino. We stayed at Casa Pazos, and honestly, the walls were paper thin and everything was very loud. There were hardly any restaurants nearby. But O Cebreiro itself was a very cute, Celtic vibe town.
September 27, 2024
O Cebreiro to Triacastela - 21.1 km or 13.11 miles.
We stayed at Albergue Atrio, which was honestly so cute. I loved this albergue. I was very sick at this point and honestly debated on skipping the next day and taking a taxi to meet up with my mom, but I didn't. A rest day to get better would have been nice, but this is the part of The Camino where it gets really busy, so we completely booked out our albergues the rest of the mileage. The Camino gets really busy at this point because you still get a completion certificate if you start in Sarria, so many people do.
September 28, 2024
Triacastela to Sarria - 25.8 km or 16 miles.
People warned us Sarria got busy, but it got busy. I hate to say, but this was my least favorite part of The Camino. So. Many. People. You could hardly walk on the path without having to say, "excuse me" or "pardon". Every restaurant had a line at least 20 minutes long. People were disrespectful to the trail as we saw more trash along the way. Trying to stay positive and take it all in, all things considered.
We stayed at Albergue Barullo which had a nice central location and a good (but expensive) restaurant out front (unaffiliated with the albergue).
September 29, 2024
Sarria to Portomarin - 22.4 km or 13.91 miles.
Portomarin was a cute town with a cute square and church.
We stayed at Casa Do Marabillas which was quiet and simple. During this part of our trek, a school group from Barcelona was walking The Camino. They told us they attended Catholic school, and it was a part of their curriculum. They were a little rambunctious, but hey, what middle schoolers aren't?
The feeling started to become bittersweet that we were nearing the end of our journey...
September 30, 2024
Portomorin to Palas de Rei - 24.8 km or 15.41 miles.
We stayed at La Huella del Peregrino. Pretty uneventful.
October 1, 2024
Palas de Rei to Arzua - 29.2 km or 18.14 miles.
We stayed at Pension Casa Elena, again, pretty much a blur day.
October 2, 2024
Arzua to O Pedrouzo - 19.2 km or 11.93 miles.
We stayed at Pension 23-Vinte e Tres.
October 3, 2024
O Pedrouzo to Santiago de Compestela! 19.2 km.
Finally made it to Santiago! Holy cow.
This feeling, I hate to say it, was pretty anti climatic. Where are the fireworks?
After all of these miles, I couldn't believe we were finally there.
I was expecting some a-ha moment of the lessons I learned from the trip, but they hadn't settled in yet. (More on that later).
My mom and I celebrated with a nice dinner and treated ourselves to a fancy hotel for the next 3 nights. We wanted to take it all in before headed back to the US. We spent the next 3 days getting massages, watching movies, and exploring the city.
We attended the famous church in the square and were lucky enough to see the incense "Botafumeiro". The mass was in spanish, and although I'm learning spanish, I could only understand very little. But still, the energy of the mass was so powerful, I was brought to tears. I wouldn't call myself a devout catholic, so this was a little out of character for me, but I loved it.
After Thoughts
It's been almost 3 months since we completed the journey as I finally finish this blog post.
This walk was so impactful for me.
Although I didn't experience that giant a-ha moment immediately after completing the hike, the energetic and spiritual aspects have definitely sunken in as time has gone on. And I've even considered doing another Camino in the future, which I would not have thought about in the heat of the journey, not going to lie.
The biggest thing I got out of this hike was an improved relationship with my mom.
We've had a rocky relationship for the better part of my life (what teenager doesn't rebel against their mom?), and this trip truly brought us closer and back to center with each other. We talked, we laughed, we shared secrets. I'm brought to tears as I write this because I truly could not be more grateful for being able to complete this journey with my mother.
Questions? Comments? Drop them in the comments below
Resources
Packing List for The Camino (not complete, but items & brands we purchased)
Viator - Book Local Tours - we used Viator to book a roof top tour of the Cathedral in Santiago de Compestela. I love Viator when I travel because they are safe and vetted companies
Buen Camino,
Jordan
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