September 27 – October 8th
I have fallen terribly behind on my blog! You would think that when your primary responsibility every day is simply to walk, there would be endless hours to reflect, write, and share this incredible experience. Truth be told, it has been quite the opposite. Since Laura joined me in León, we have walked an average of 13 to 17 miles a day, without a single rest day, determined to arrive in Santiago de Compostela on October 9.
And somewhere along the way, our little Camino family or "Camily," as everyone calls it on the camino has grown into something really special. When I was walking solo, I met so many incredible people who are part of this bigger group. But since Laura arrived, the social side of the Camino has taken on an entirely new life.
We start our mornings early, sometimes before sunrise, headlamps on, walking through quiet villages as the world begins to wake up. After hours of walking, we arrive in our next town, tired, hungry, and ready for lunch. Finding a restaurant that is actually open is sometimes a challenge in itself. Spanish siesta hours seem to change with every village! But eventually we find somewhere, usually a little café in the main square. And then it begins. Someone we know walks by we wave them over. Another familiar face appears, then another. Our table gets bigger and bigger. Lunch at 2 p.m. becomes a glass of wine at 3pm, more stories, more laughter, and suddenly it is 8 p.m. and time for dinner!
Other days, we head to our hotel, where there is laundry to do, bags to organize, luggage transportation to arrange for the following day, and a new town to explore. We try to visit the churches, the sites of these quaint villages, attend pilgrim Mass, or join a pilgrim dinner. Before we know it, it's 9:30 at night- A FULL day.
A lot of people stays in albergues, where the curfew is often 10 p.m.I choose to stay in hotels with quite the gamut of accommodations , but quite frankly, the curfew sounds pretty appealing by that hour to wake up and do it all again.
From León to the Mountains
Leaving León with Laura felt like beginning a second chapter of my Camino. We had enjoyed two wonderful days in this beautiful city, which happened to be celebrating a medieval festival. Music filled streets, went to 3 concerts, tons of people gathered in the plazas, and a lot of time wandered in the area of Barrio Húmedo enjoying tapas and the festive atmosphere. But it was time to get walking again.
The landscape began to change as we made our way toward Astorga and Rabanal del Camino. There were long stretches through small villages, cafés that seemed to appear just when we needed them, and familiar pilgrims we continued to encounter. Some mornings brought sunshine, others rain -quite a long stretch of cold and rain , most days we needed to wear our poncho and rain pants all the time. Definitely a different experience that then the heat in the first part and I was ill prepared so happily found a store to help fill in the gaps of what I was missing for gear .
Along the way, we stopped at a wonderful little café where we met Michael and Fiona from Australia, a painter and a costume designer. Later, we found ourselves in a quirky cowboy bar in another village. These are the unexpected little stops that make each day so interesting. By the time we reached Rabanal, I had walked approximately 345 miles since leaving Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port.I could hardly believe it. And ahead of us was one of the days I had been anticipating most Cruz de Ferro. In addition we could not find a hotel so we had to sleep in a hostel . We had a room with 6 roommates in bunk beds and a community bathroom We went out to roam this small magical town ( think it was my favorite ) and came back and the owner of the alburgue said she had a cancellation for a room with 2 bunks beds and if we paid 20 Euros it would be ours only. It was the best early Christmas gift!!!
Cruz de Ferro — Leaving Something Behind
Cruz de Ferro is one of the most symbolic places along the Camino. Pilgrims have traditionally carried stones from home to this iron cross, leaving them behind as a symbol of burdens, prayers, memories, or things they are ready to release.I hadn't brought a stone from home, so I found one along the Camino. For me, this moment was about leaving things I had carried for too long and no longer wanted to take into the next chapter of my life. The climb into the Montes de León was breathtaking. The weather was wet, the mountains were dramatic, and the descent toward Molinaseca was actually very hard but I had been looking forward to this moment for weeks. There is something incredibly powerful about the simplicity of placing a stone on a pile that represents the hopes, losses, and prayers of countless pilgrims before you. I left my stone and gladly a lot behind!! Laura left a button of john , her brother who lost his life in 9/11 and a dear friend who had an accident and died recently. We hugged, we cried and took many pictures and continued walking.
Through El Bierzo and Into Galicia
The next several days brought some of the most beautiful landscapes of the entire Camino. We walked through vineyards, mountain villages, and charming towns that seemed untouched by time. In Cacabelos, Laura and I enjoyed what I called a "big girl lunch" in a lovely garden restaurant .After so many days of walking and quick café stops, it felt wonderful to sit and enjoy a proper meal. We made our way to Villafranca del Bierzo. We stayed in a hotel right on Plaza Mayor, and I remember thinking how wonderful it was to be in such a beautiful little town surrounded completely by a castle. One of my favorite memories was breakfast near the famous clock tower. It was perhaps the best breakfast of the Camino. What really stayed with me was a small church we visited along the way. A local couple warmly greeted us at the entrance and proudly stamped our pilgrim passports. We purchased little leather-style covers for our passports, another small keepsake of the journey. Inside, the caretaker turned on the lights, illuminating a beautiful rounded ceiling with a depiction of the Last Supper and the words "Buen Camino."It was magical. These are the moments I have come to love most. The unexpected discoveries that are never part of the day's plan. As we continued toward Galicia, the scenery changed again. The mountains became greener, the villages more rural, and the landscape increasingly beautiful.
Fonfría - A Night to Remember
By the time we reached Fonfría, we were deep in the beautiful Galician countryside, actually a farm town that literally was known for making cheese. We stayed in a private residence across from a church, with many cows outside our window. That evening, we attended one of the most memorable pilgrim dinners I have had on the trip. Imagine one long, curved table filled with 70 people from all over the world. We were served traditional Galician soup, delicious beef, wine, and dessert. Sitting beside me was Jim from Utah, a group from Durango, Colorado, for a week of walking and Stephano form Italy. The stories flowed as freely as the red wine. Then the music sponatously began and the waitresses started dancing to traditional Galician music while serving desert, and before long, myself and others joined them. There I was, in a tiny village in northern Spain, dancing with people I had only just met, I know that is not shocking to most who know me BUT so much fun. It was one of those wonderfully spontaneous evenings that perfectly captures the magic of the Camino and if that was not fun enough we all walked out and the the entire sky was illuminated pink , like nothing I had ever seen, another beautiful night.
Sarria — The Camino Has Changed, and So Have We
Arriving in Sarria marked a dramatic change in the Camino, and almost everyone who has been walking from Saint-Jean or other distant starting points agrees. It was quite a jolt! The peaceful, reflective journey we had experienced for weeks suddenly felt very different. The crowds grew enormously. There was more noise, more trash, more commercialization, and what sometimes felt like one tourist trap after another. It has oddly been a difficult adjustment. We had spent weeks walking through quiet villages, enjoying the sounds of nature, and experiencing a simplicity that is hard to describe and suddenly, that peacefulness felt interrupted. I have mixed emotions about it. On one hand, I am genuinely happy that so many people are choosing to experience the Camino, even if they are walking only the final stretch from Sarria to Santiago. Everyone has their own reasons for being here, and I respect that. But I would be lying if I said I wasn't frustrated by the crowds, the noise, the litter, and the commercialization of something that had felt so sacred and peaceful for weeks.
The good news is that the "Camily." all feels the same and trying to encourage each other not to let it ruin all the good we have gotten out of it, laugh about some of the craziness, vent our frustrations, and remind each other of the extraordinary journey we have already experienced. On top of this something else is happening at the same time.There is a palpable melancholy among many of us, including me. We are all beginning to realize that this journey of 31 days, is almost over and it is hitting everyone differently. Many are genuinely sad. Sad to leave the simplicity of this life, the friendships, the routines, and the incredible sense of community that has developed along the way. I understand those feelings completely. But interestingly, I am not sad. What I feel instead is an immense sense of happiness, gratitude, and pride. I am almost at the finish line of something I never truly believed I could accomplish. I never, ever, ever imagined I could do something like this and it has definitely been harder than I ever anticipated. Physically, mentally, and emotionally, this journey has challenged me in ways I could never have predicted. Exhausting days, difficult climbs, aching feet (and happily, ZERO blisters!), unpredictable weather, and moments when I wondered how I would possibly find the energy to get up and do it all again the next morning . I don't feel sadness that it is ending. I feel extraordinary gratitude that I had the opportunity, the health, the determination, and the courage to do it. I came here knowing I was entering a new chapter of my life, but I had no idea just how much this journey would show me about myself.
Tomorrow, Santiago
Tomorrow I will walk into Santiago de Compostela, the end of the Camino. When I began this journey on September 8, I had no idea what the next month would bring. Truth be told, I arrived in Spain on one wheel! I had just dropped Blake off at college, moved out of Hopkinton, and moved into Boston only three days earlier. It was A LOT.
Most people thought the timing was a little crazy, and perhaps it was. But I was determined not to cancel. Deep down, I believed the Camino was exactly what I needed to begin this next chapter of my life — space to think, a challenge, and the opportunity to do something entirely for myself.
I spent my first 17 days walking solo, but tomorrow I will arrive in Santiago with Laura and a "Camily" of incredible people who have made this journey even more extraordinary. For many who I will walk into Santiago with tomorrow will be bittersweet. For me, it will be a celebration of every early morning, every difficult climb, every mile I wasn't sure I could finish, and the unexpected friendships and memories that will stay with me forever. Sometimes we have to do something we never thought possible to discover just how much we are capable of. I am finishing this journey stronger, lighter, happier, and more confident than when I started. I am immensely grateful for this experience and for the kindness, encouragement, and love from everyone I've met along the way and those cheering me on from afar, you have all been part of this journey in ways you may never fully realize.
I started this Camino believing I was walking toward Santiago but what deep down what I discovered along the way was just how much I was walking toward myself and what a beautiful journey it has been.
Buen Camino. ❤️