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. ❤️
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