News From The Road

It can be a challenge to stay connected to the outside world from the road of Saint James. While various albergues that I have visited offer the opportunity to connected to the internet, they charge high prices for few minutes of use. Overall, I believe this is done to discourage our typical worrisome and rushed habits. Cellphones, with the exception of emergencies, are also unwelcome because the Camino de Santiago is about meditating and disconnecting from society. Furthermore, phone calls from the road can cost you an eye if you are from another country. My Portuguese friend has spent 150€ on his cell phone in the past two weeks, almost costing him as much as the trip itself.

Pocket Change
While the pilgrimage is one of the cheaper “touristic” trips that a person can take, it must be said you should bring enough money to spend at least 10€ a day. The albergues that we have stayed in range from donatives to 7€ per night, (the average is 4€) but it is worth it to pay more if they have a kitchen; this way you can cook and avoid spending money on going out. Before arriving to their destination for the day, most pilgrims will pull out their guide book and read a brief review of the town and albergue they intend to sleep in. Some albergues I have stayed in have smaller rooms, new bathrooms, a kitchen, and intimate sleeping quarters, while in others, you may find yourself in a room of 30 people. I witnessed some of the greatest snoring contests to date the past few weeks. Hot tip: bring earplugs!

Different Stages
A fellow pilgrim told me that the journey to Santiago is divided into various stages. As I make my way into my 300th kilometer, I realize that I have already experienced three different phases of my journey. In the first leg, I was determined to make my way to Santiago; it seemed like there was no other option. If I didn’t make it there, the Camino would seem pointless. Although, I did my best to enjoy the route, my partner and I made sure to hit daily distances; even if this meant walking through the heat and taking few stops. As we did this and I saw other pilgrims sitting down and enjoying coffees together, something felt missing in my walk.

After my partner and I went off on separate paths (due to different rhythms), my walk became slower, a bit lazier, yet this gave me a chance to be more sociable. I began to break bread and dinner with the other pilgrims, and I realized the road is not about making it to Santiago, it is about the experience you have on the way. I have a few more weeks to reach Compostella, but in this new phase of the walk, I feel like it is not as important anymore.

If you let it, the walk teaches you everything you need to know about life. One of these lessons is that that although you can achieve a difficult goal, often it will only be meaningful if you enjoyed the journey in getting to it. If at the end you achieve something important, but you had to sacrifice too much to attain it, it may feel pointless.

So for now, these are my words of wisdom and I am off to pack my bag and begin a new day. As they say here on the road “Buen Camino!”

An International Adventure

I had many expections about what I would encounter on El Camino, but one thing I overlooked was how many interesting people I would meet from throughout the world.

Yesterday, after walking 27 Km to the lovely albergue in Larrasoña (Navarra), I looked around to realize that I am surrounded by citizens from everywhere. In the states, I am used to meeting people who have ancestors from various nations, but are third or fourth generation themselves. Yet, on the Camino, you can meet natives of many countries. To my left, a table filled with a Swede, Italian, French, English, Spanish, Canadian, and German person. To my right, another plethora of nationalities: 2 girls from Australia here just for walk, a Korean man, and another American. It was a beautiful to think about how much culture, experiences, and different perspectives I have access to.

Some suggestions after a day´s walk:

1. After a tiring journey, plunge yourself into a cold river. Wheter you go in a suit, in undies, or nude, do whatever it takes to refresh your body and feel alive again!

2. In Larransoaña, buy a bottle of red wine for 2€ upon paying for the night´s stay(6€) and share it! People will appreciate this and probally offer you a snack in return. At the very least, you´ll be sure to make a new friend.

3. Once you have some energy ( or immediately upon arriving) do your laundry. The places to hang your clothes get taken quickly and you want to make sure your things dry for the morning.

4. At least in Larransaña, avoid the dinner at the corner resturant. Knowing how great the food in the north of Spain is, I was dissapointed. Perhaps the resturant owners thought that because we were simple pilgrims, it was ok to serve simple food. While the salad was fine, the fish looked like a microwavable fillet.

5. If there is a grocery store around, buy enough food for breakfast. You are likely to start walking at 6:30 am and stores dont open until 9:30 am.

6. Finally, get to bed early, and if your body is in pain, make sure to use the appropriate medicine to lessen complications the following day.

Roncesvalles, The Journey Begins

After spending the past three nights in Madrid, Spain´s capital, I am finally on my way to beginning the first leg of my month-long pilgrimage through the French Route across Northern Spain.

While people can choose to start the journey from anywhere in Europe, one of the more significant starting places is in Roncesvalles, a small town one hour north of Pamplona.

People do El Camino de Santiago, or the Road of Saint James, for many reasons. Some have religious objectives, others because they want to learn to live simply, or some just prefer to walk among beautiful landscapes.

I myself find many meanings in walking the Way of Saint James, but my most important one, is a self promise made last year, when I started the road for 7 days and dropped it due to bad planning. I swore to myself that I would come back and finish what I started one day. And for me, this day is today!

The route demands of you, that you bring only what you can carry, because you will be walking for several hours, and excessiveness will slow you down and can hurt you.

I am bringing the minimum. In my Atmos 50 backpack, I have 1 pair of worn in boots, sneakers, 2 cotton GoNOMAD.com t-shirts, 2 pairs of sport pants, 2 long sleeve shirts, a polar fleece, sleepwear, 10 pairs of 100% cotton socks and 5 pairs of skintight cotton socks to be worn underneath the thicker pairs. Then there is my hat, sunscreen, towel, shampoo, sponge, toothbrush, toothpaste, dental floss, hairbrush, hair ties, first aid kit, contact lenses, journal, and sleeping bag. Nothing more.

The following information will be helpful to anyone who is thinking of doing the walk and starting from Roncesvalles: From Madrid take the Continental bus to Pamplona (29€). This is a 5.5 hour ride and then you must take a ATIVAR, S.L. bus (TLF 948 314 091) from here for 4.50€ .

When I arrive to Roncesvalles I will participate in the evening mass which I have heard is traditional to attend whether or not you are religious; it marks the beginning of the journey. Finally, tomorrow, I am off at 6:30 am to begin my hike through the Pyrenees Mountains.

Stay tuned for more!!