I am a Pilgrim

Well, almost a pilgrim. To get the official certificate at the end of the Camino de Santiago (“The Way of St. James”), you have to walk 100 km, which translates to just over 62 miles. Since we weren’t able to knock out that monster trek in two days, we settled for a hike on the portion of the Camino known as “The English Way” that runs 75 km from the northwest coast of Spain inland to Santiago de Compostela. It certainly ended up being a memorable adventure!

Plaque at the start

We started the journey out bright and early at A Coruña, a medium-sized city in the northwest region of Spain known as Galicia. Beginning at the Church of Santiago, we embarked on the pilgrimage, unluckily getting lost right off the bat. We knew that the trail eventually made its way near the city’s airport, though, so we resorted to asking locals for directions there. After receiving differing responses from many nevertheless kind and well-intentioned citizens, we made our way along the side of a highway for about two hours until we arrived to the airport and found a sign of the Camino! Thus encouraged, we set off on the real start of the voyage.

Rejoicing upon finding the trail markers

Since we were going from sea-level inland, most of the first day was uphill (or at least it seemed that way!). With that in mind and the fact that we didn’t actually find the Camino until around noon, we only made it about 32 km the first day. We passed through tiny villages with no more than a handful of homes, wound through paths snaking through cornfields, and climbed what seemed like entire mountains.

Path through a cornfield

With the sun setting around eight, we stopped for the night in Bruma where there was a “refuge” for pilgrims, charging only what you wanted to donate. There we met three other pilgrims, all retired. We shared stories, compared blisters, and then, exhausted, passed out for the night.

Shed (?) with a great view

Not wanting to miss any daylight, though, we were up before the crack of dawn (don’t worry, dawn comes at about 8:30 this time of year) to get started. After a quick breakfast of chocolate and trail mix, we hit the road to cover the 43 km that still stood before us.

Sun through the morning fog

This second day, the Camino passed through even fewer and even smaller villages (if you could even call them that!). It was a perfect time to share stories, discuss the news, and just reflect on life. After a close encounter with a bull that was wary of us passing through his turf, some more mountain climbing, and scrounging for food, we made it to the resting place of St. James in Santiago de Compostela. After a celebratory dinner of Spanish tortilla and ice cream pie, we did some tourist shopping (gotta support the local economy, right?). With full stomachs and full spirits, we hit the sack, sore and blistered but nonetheless rejuvenated.

The final destination