Final thoughts on the Camino

 The Camino had been calling me for years, and I’m so very glad that I got to go. It was everything I had imagined and more.

PAIN - My feet hurt way more than I anticipated. Everyone talks about blisters, which I had one tiny one, but no one mentioned the general foot pain from the constant pounding of the walk. I’ve completed five half marathons, and I remembered my feet hurt afterwards, but I didn’t have another long walk the next day and the next. I wore trail runners, maybe a different shoe would have been better.

JOY - walking everyday is peaceful, especially on the nature trails and the little villages. Reaching the Cathedral in Santiago, being in the cathedral, smelling the incense, visiting the relics of Saint James; these were all quietly joyful moments I will treasure forever.

OUR ROUTE - I always thought I would walk the Camino Frances, since that is the one you see in most movies and read about in most books. I never even considered the Portuguese route, but I loved it. It was hilly but not mountainous. The coastal route was lovely. It rained a few days, but never very much or very long. There were plenty of cafes every day except one (Pontevedra to Redondela). There were lots of fountains, so I only brought an 18 oz. water bottle and always had plenty of water.

MY PACK - I chose a 28 liter pack, because I didn't want to be tempted to overpack. We stayed in private rooms, so I didn’t pack any sleeping gear. My pack weighed 10-12 pounds, so it was comfortable to carry.

I’M GLAD I BROUGHT - my umbrella and a tiny compass. I had a light rain coat and a light poncho, but usually the umbrella was all I needed for rain. It was easy to use and put away during the intermittent showers. My husband gave me a tiny compass, mostly as a token, but it turned out to be really handy in the bigger cities. On the trail, it was super easy to follow the yellow arrows, but in the cities, the compass was a big help.

I DIDN’T NEED - my headlamp or as many clothes. I brought the headlamp, but we never rushed out in the morning, so I didn’t use it. I brought four tops (one long sleeve, two short sleeve, one tank for evening/sleep), and I wore all of these. I brought four bottoms (one hiking pant, one yoga pant, two shorts), and I could have gotten by with just one pant and one shorts. I never used the one buff that I brought. I brought one jacket and wore that quite a bit. We checked the weather before we left, and expected and got cooler temps and intermittent rain. 

ACCOMMODATIONS - I used the Stingy Nomads website to plan our route and their links to booking .com to pre-arrange our private rooms every night. Most rooms were 50 e for two people, and a few included breakfast. Even though I never slept in a bunk room full of strangers, I still feel I got the full Camino experience. https://stingynomads.com/portuguese-coastal-camino-stages/

For anyone who feels called by the Camino, I would definitely say GO - it was a trip of a lifetime for me. ❤️

Madrid

I had such an amazing time in Santiago and on the Camino, I really didn’t even want to go Madrid. But we had to catch our flight home, so here we go! 

Madrid turned out to be amazing in a whole different way. 😊

Marie and I had one and a half days to spend in Madrid, and we definitely made the most of it. We walked 13 miles the first day and 10 miles the next!  

Our favorite spot the first day was the Parque de El Retiro. It was such a lovely spot in the city. We saw a puppet show, street performers, a parade, and boaters. We also visited the Crystal Palace. 

We dined at a sidewalk cafe and had two meals, two drinks and two desserts for 42 euros. I said “look at us, Marie, we’re at a sidewalk cafe in Europe — this is what people dream of!” Including me. 😊

The next day was Sunday; we attended Mass at a historic church. We visited a few other churches downtown and were totally amazed by the Cathedral de la Almedena next to the palace. 

We also visited the Sofia Reina art museum. I loved riding the glass elevator and viewing an original Picasso. Our last museum of the day was the History Museum of Madrid, another amazing historic building. 

Madrid is a beautiful city, an unexpected treasure of this trip.

Reina Sofia

At the cathedral

Parque de El Retiro

Pope John Paul II

Me and Marie by the City Hall of Madrid

Ceiling at San Antonio de la Florida Chapel

Inside the Chapel

Glass elevator at the Reina Sofia

Inside the Cathedral

Museum of History

City Hall with the evening sky

Inside the Reina Sofia

Children’s books at the art museum 

The Cathedral by the palace

Santiago

We stayed one and a half days in Santiago, and honestly, I could have stayed longer.

The Cathedral is so beautiful and has such a magical pull, I just wanted to keep going back. On our second day, I got up early and walked into town. I enjoyed being in the plaza during the quiet times. I got to go through the Holy Door, we got to attend the Pilgrims Mass again and see the botafumeiro again! What a blessing! We also went to Confession in the Cathedral, another wonderful blessing. 

I went to the Pilgrim Office and received my Compostela- the official Latin document that shows I completed my Camino. The office also has meeting rooms upstairs where you can talk and relax.

I feel grateful, humbled, and blessed beyond belief. It was a journey of highs and lows, and I’m so, so happy I got to do it! It’s something I’ll remember the rest of my life. God has blessed me, and I am grateful. ❤️

Garden in Santiago 

Streets of Santiago 

Cathedral

Cathedral

Side chapel

Detail of the Holy Door

The incredible organ

Garden at the Pilgrim Office

Cathedral

Camino Day 7 - O Milladoiro to Santiago de Compostela

 11.5 miles (our Camino route today was only 8 km, but this total is for our whole day, walking around Santiago)

Our last day! We were so excited to get to Santiago. Four of us started our day together, as the girls had stayed elsewhere and would join us later. 

On the streets of Santiago 

Bridge before the city

Old town Santiago 

Pilgrim House

Beth, Lee, Marie and I got some coffee and were on our way. We faced light rain and cooler temperatures, but that was fine. As we left the city, we saw three young soldiers in full uniform and long guns walking with us. One must have had a serious leg injury, and I felt sorry for him in his pain. As a mom, I also wondered if his mom knew. And how it feels when our our kids are in pain and there’s nothing we can do about it.

Before Santiago, we got to a bridge over a stream near a weeping willow tree. It was a nice spot to take a quick break. We entered the city and walked the city sidewalks until we finally got to the old town section. I had read about Pilgrim House, and we stopped there to store our backpacks. The staff were so nice, and it is such a peaceful spot in the city! 

Then on to the cathedral for the 12:00 Pilgrims’ Mass! It’s in Spanish of course, but it was still a beautiful service. Today was the feast of Saint John the Baptist, and they swung the botafumeiro! What an incredible site! 

After Mass, we found the girls and had a nice lunch together. Time to celebrate!

We made it!

We spent our afternoon marveling at the cathedral and taking photos in the Plaza del Obradoiro. It was fun to see all the pilgrims celebrating their arrival.

Front of the Cathedral 

I made it!

Inside the Cathedral

The main altar

Candles at Pilgrim House

Beth, Katie, Marie

Now it was time to walk to our Air BnB, ten minutes away from the Cathedral. After a nap and a snack, I was drawn back to the Cathedral. It’s just such an amazing place, and I wanted to spend as much time there as possible. I visited the many altars around the church and walked down the steps to visit the remains of Saint James. It was so beautiful to be there at night.

The relics of Saint James

Cathedral de Santiago de Compostela

Another view of the massive cathedral

One of the many side altars

The main altar

Stairway leading down to Saint James’ relics

Astounded by the beauty

Altar for Mary

Camino Day 6 - Padron to O Milladoiro

 17.3 miles

Our last full day of walking! Lots of the blogs I had read said that people were sad or had mixed emotions as their walk was ending, but I didn’t get that. I was happy, happy, happy! 

Marie and I started our day with a coffee then a quick stop at a pharmacy. Then we were back on the Camino! We visited a few churches (outside only) and enjoyed the farms and animals. It was a peaceful day. By afternoon, we saw blue sky! Yay! We had been quite fortunate, it really only rained a bit, but I was still really happy to enjoy the sun. 

Marie got ahead of me and was the first in our group to reach O Milladoiro. She found a cafe and we were able to grab a snack before finding our hotel. Tonight, all six of us enjoyed a nice group dinner together. 

Tomorrow we will walk into Santiago!

Maggie, Beth, Marie, Katie, me, Lee

Beautiful 

Along the Way

Ancient steps

Another beautiful old church

Walking through the vineyards 

Cobblestone roads

Marie leading the way

We loved all the churches

Flowers everywhere 

Another rocky road