“It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to.”
– J. R. R. Tolkien, The Lord of The Rings
I’m baaack!
My husband and I left Canada on April 28th, heading to Spain for our much-anticipated trek through northern Spain on the Camino de Santiago. We landed in Paris, hung around in the airport for about 6 hours, and boarded the second flight to Biarritz, France, to spend a couple nights there getting over jet-lag before the walk began.
Biarritz is beautiful, by the way. It’s a resort town where surfing is popular with Europeans. We ambled along the beach, enjoying the lovely little bay and quaint 18th-century vibe. Being suddenly transported from our drab and brown spring to lush, green grass and beautiful flowers was disorienting in the best way. I so miss colours in the wintertime!
St. Jean Pied de Port, where it all began.
Then it was off to St. Jean Pied de Port, a little French town nestled at the foot of the Pyrenees, the starting place for the Camion Frances. The Frances is probably the best-known of the Camino routes, but there are many others that wind their way throughout France, Spain, and the rest of Europe. We had a night there to orient ourselves, register at the pilgrim’s office and get advice for the next day’s climb. The next morning, off we went.
And up we went. The first day’s 24 km trek took us 1372 m (4500 ft) over the Pyrenees and back down again on the other side to the little town of Roncesvalles. Near the top of the mountain, we crossed into Spain, and the rest of our trek took us westwards along the north of Spain to our destination, Santiago de Compestola, the resting place of St. James the Apostle.
That first day was magical. We both felt great. The training we did beforehand really helped, as did our trusty walking poles. The ascents were mainly gradual, but there were a few steep sections. Thankfully, we didn’t struggle up them. Downhill is always harder than uphill, I find, and this proved true on our first day, and on many others. The last section was a steep, rocky, slippery descent. That was the worst part.
The first day was a microcosm of the trek, as it included all the elements that made this walk so special.
Beautiful scenery – it’s hard to describe just how beautiful the scenery was that day, so I’ll just drop a couple pics to give you a small taste. The mountainous areas at the beginning and the end of the Camino were gorgeous, but I also loved the high plains of the meseta we trekked through in between the two. The vast flat open spaces there reminded me quite a bit of southern Alberta and Saskatchewan. I also couldn’t get enough of the wildflowers, especially the poppies. I suppose many of you encounter wild poppies on a regular basis, but where we live we never see them. The flowers, the birdsong and the gorgeous views were a great part of each day’s enjoyment for me.
Spectacular views on the Pyrenees
Poppies!
A typical day on the meseta, Spain’s high plains. Lots of grape vines for wine, as well as cereal crops, olives, and fruits, are grown here.
Great weather – both on that first day, and throughout the whole forty-day adventure, we enjoyed pretty much perfect weather. For the most part, it wasn’t too hot. That day it was 10C – 15 C, which was perfect for hiking up (and down) hills. Throughout our Camino, temperatures averaged 10-20C. We did have some hotter days in the first week and in the last week (around 27C-28C) which were harder to walk in, but doable. I’m really glad we went before the temperature reached the summer highs of the 30s or even 40s in some places along the way.*
Fascinating history – well, you know I love me some history, and this walk, of course, was full of it. From centuries-old churches to charming medieval towns to fascinating artifacts in museums, Spain’s history came alive to us (at least the history of northern Spain, the Camino, and Basque country, that is!). We walked Roman roads and crossed Roman bridges; hiked over cobblestones and past ancient hospitales de peregrinos; saw countless
churches, monasteries, hermitages and roadside shrines; and lingered over fascinating artifacts, medieval manuscripts, paintings and art in cathedral museums. The Templars haunted our journey, too. One of the many highlights was the Templar church of Santa Maria in Villacázar de Sirga and the Templar castle in Ponferrada. We even saw the spot of the last jousting tournament in medieval Europe at the spectacular (and I mean SPECTACULAR) bridge of Hospital de Órbigo. Some of these fascinating historical tidbits will likely become blog posts at some point, so stay tuned!
Not “the” bridge, but one of the many beautiful bridges we crossed over!
Cobblestones were often encountered in the villages we passed through.
Architecture – From the honey coloured stones and red tile roofs at the beginning of the route to the slate buildings and thatched roofs of Celtic Galicia in the northwest of Spain, the architecture we encountered never failed to delight. A guidebook stated that, along the Camino Frances, a pilgrim will walk through three hundred and fifty towns! Most day, every hour or so, you’d spot the church bell tower of the next village. Most of the villages followed the same “Camino” pattern – a long narrow village built up along the Camino route. Because, of course, most of them have been catering for centuries to the needs of the Camino pilgrims, whether those needs be food, rest, or spiritual/medical assistance. The bigger centres – Pamplona, Burgos, Leon, Astorga and Santiago, held impressive (truly, stunning!) cathedrals, museums and other buildings (like world-famous buildings by the Spanish architect Gaudi) that kept us snapping pictures. So. Many. Pictures.
The city gate at Los Arcos.
The magnificent cathedral at Leon.
Burgos’ city gate.
Mental and physical challenge – that first day I encountered both, and they both continued to feature throughout the Camino. The physical challenge of the Camino is real. Yes, it is “just” a walk. But it’s a 800 KM (500 miles) walk. The average walk every day was about 20 KM. Days shorter than that were great. Days longer than that, especially the few 30KM days, were tough. No matter how long the day, the last 5 kms (about an hour of walking) were always hard. We did very well on the physical side of it, though. Some people suffered through horrendous blisters, food poisoning or some kind of intestinal illness, and other ailments. Some people had to drop out of the walk due to those injuries or illnesses. We were fortunate. However, that doesn’t mean we escaped physical challenges. I only had two small blisters over the course of the 800 KM, more of an annoyance than anything else. More challenging was the flu/cold or whatever I had the first week. Feverish, drained of energy, sore throat, sniffles, etc. It caused me to miss one day walking. I just couldn’t face the 25K that was scheduled for that day’s walk and so I (and my faithful husband) took the bus to the next stop. I was glad I took the rest, though. As we were in the first week, I had a long way to go and I didn’t want to set my body up for failure further down the road by pushing my way through an illness. That night the fever broke. I woke up feeling better, not perfect, but I could manage the walk that day. My husband had a sore leg/hip for a few days as well.I also had a knee flare up during the second difficult descent we encountered during the first week. Much harder descent than the first day’s had been, and longer. The knee continued to bother on and off, but getting a knee brace helped. Once we got into the flat part of the meseta, that issue went away. I developed a really sore muscle at the front of my left leg, just above the ankle. I thought I was going to have to take a taxi or bus the next day after limping into the night’s town, but although it was really sore in the morning, with some encouragement (and a nice massage) from my hubby, off I went, fortified by a couple of Advil. Guess what? I could do it. As I walked, the soreness eased, and while it lingered for the next week, I learned that I could keep going when I didn’t think I could. Sometimes you just gotta take a few steps more and see what happens!
The descent into Moiinaseca was around 15K long, and this was the “good” part of the trail. Very steep in parts, and challenging with these helter-skelter rocks. We descended around 1524 m (5000ft) over that distance. It was also one of the hotter days. Phew! Altogether that day’s hike was a really tough 24K – the hardest day, in my opinion!
Spiritual contemplation – the Camino is of course, historically, a Christian pilgrimage. While many walk it today without those ties of faith, I found it encouraging to see the countless reminders of the historical and spiritual roots of the Camino all along the way. The long hours of walking loosen up the mind and give you space to think and to pray. My husband and I had good conversations between ourselves and with other people, too, but I truly enjoyed the opportunity to walk in the footsteps of countless other pilgrims and to think about the “whys” of not only the Camino but of life. But, I am a contemplative by nature, so this aspect of the journey suited me very well. I didn’t have any huge spiritual revelation, but I came away even more appreciative of how God works in big and small ways in people’s lives and in the events of the world.
The people – what an amazing group of pilgrims we met along the way. At times we felt very outclassed by the fascinating people from all over the world whom we met. I discovered there are a lot of “data analysts” in the world! That seemed to be an occupation for many. But we also met doctors, engineers, nurses, writers, artists, filmmakers, and even a real-life “rocket scientist” – someone who worked for NASA as part of the team developing the spaceships for the latest Mars mission. Many were spiritual seekers looking for answers, or to let go of past trauma, or to get direction for a new phase of life. Some were just adventurers. It was a wonderful kinship to belong to, and we had a great deal of fun connecting with familiar faces along the way and making deeper friendships with some that we hope will continue now that we are home. We had many interesting conversations and learned about various places around the world. I also loved encountering the people of Spain. We met kind and hospitable people who were patient and helpful with the many pilgrims they encounter walking through their villages every day. One thing I found touching was hearing the traditional pilgrims greeting, “buen Camino” from most of the people you passed in the villages. This means “good way” or “good walk” and it is a greeting that is shared among the pilgrims themselves but also given from the local people to the pilgrims. Often accompanied by a warm smile. It felt like a little blessing every time I heard it.
Camino friends after a steep 9 km day’s walk (our shortest day, but a tough one)! In this picture are three Canadians, two Australians, and one American!
It’s impossible to sum up our Camino with only these few words, but I hope this gives you a taste of what it was like for us. And maybe (hopefully!) I’ve inspired you to go on an adventure of your own!
The end! What a great feeling to get to Santiago at last!
* 10C – 20 C = 50F – 68F; 27C – 28C = 80F – 82F; 30 C = 86 F; 40 C = 104 F.
Go on a trek of your own through medieval Europe without leaving your home! My historical fantasy trilogy, The Traveller’s Path, is set in 7th century England, and features a young man whose shadowed destiny leads him to the past, where he could change our world forever.
