Camino de Santiago
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Introduction
I arrive in Barcelona, where my great friends Gian and Dani welcome me. I stay with them for a few days to adjust to the time change and prepare for the Camino. All I know is that the Camino exists and that there are several different routes. I don’t know which one I’ll take or…
Keep reading…Day 0 – The Portal
I say goodbye to my friends and head to Barcelona airport. Once on the plane, sitting a few rows ahead of me, I spot a man who looks exactly like my cousin. It’s quantumly impossible for my cousin to be on this flight, but I remember that I’m on my way to the land of…
Keep reading…Day 1 – The Wrong Way
I must have fallen asleep around 5 a.m. At 8:30, the alarm goes off; I snooze it until 8:35, and then until 8:45. At 8:50, the bike rental guys let me know they’re already outside. “Damn,” I think, “we agreed on 9.” I go out to pick up the bike and then head to a…
Keep reading…Day 2 – Change Of Plans
I wake up early. For once. By 6 a.m., I’m already up. I had seen that the rest of the Camino del Norte is 90% uphill, so I decide to change my plan and take a different route. I take the train back to San Sebastián – just a 22-minute ride for what had taken…
Keep reading…Day 3 – The Storks
I wake up at 7 a.m. We have breakfast and set off with Argos. Today’s plan is to cycle 45 kilometers to Frómista. I’m not a morning person, so I start off slowly. The sun is just rising, and it’s a bit chilly. The route begins with an uphill climb—something I’d later learn is typical…
Keep reading…Day 4 – The Fall
I wake up at 6:40 a.m., even before the alarm goes off. I feel refreshed. We get the bikes ready and set off. As we pedal out of town, Argos tells me he can’t believe I’m not wearing a helmet. I should mention I have one packed, but I’ve been wearing a hat to avoid…
Keep reading…Day 5 – The Cathedral
My sleep is interrupted at 2 a.m. by the sound of a mobile band arriving in the street outside the hostel. I imagine the entire hostel woke up, but I don’t mind. In fact, I enjoy the unexpected concert happening outside my window. The nighttime performance lasts about 15 minutes, and then they leave. I…
Keep reading…Day 6 – The Found Days
I step out into the hostel courtyard, and the first thing I find is my bike with a flat tire. Damn. I’m out of spares. Now I really have to patch it. As I get organized and start removing the wheel, everyone else has already left the hostel. I tell Argos he can go ahead…
Keep reading…Day 7 – Cruz De Ferro
Today I’m the last one to wake up, since I went to bed later than usual last night, excited by the big discovery about the date confusion. The eight-bed room is already completely empty. I get up. It’s 6:30 a.m. I wash my face and, when I return to the room, I find Argos. I…
Keep reading…Day 8 – The Storm
Rain is forecast for the entire day. We wake up early, as usual, and head down for breakfast. It’s a continental breakfast, so I help myself to everything I see without thinking twice. By the time I finish, I’m quite full, satisfied, and with a long day ahead. The rain shows no sign of stopping,…
Keep reading…Day 9 – The World Of Pilgrims
The morning wraps the village in dense fog. We have breakfast at the hotel café, and then I bid Argos farewell for the last time. Now each of us sets off on a different path. I’m on my own, in the world of pilgrims. I leave without rushing. Everyone has already departed early. I walk…
Keep reading…Day 10 – The Goat Killer
I wake up early, even before the alarm goes off. The night was quiet, despite the snoring in the room. There were only three of us, but the Korean guy across from me snored for two. I greet Gary and mention I had a few nightmares. With a smile, he replies: —I’m a shouter too!…
Keep reading…Day 11 – The Crowd
Today I wake up a little later than usual. My shoes are still wet, despite having stuffed them with newspaper the day before to dry them. I no longer feel muscle pain, but my left knee aches, and now I have a blister on my right foot that’s about to burst. I put on a…
Keep reading…Day 12 – The Antidote
I wake up early, for once. The ladies in the room set their alarm for 5:30, so I went to bed early last night knowing they’d wake me up along with them. I’m the first to arrive at the hotel café for breakfast. I eat quickly and set off. To my surprise, the path is…
Keep reading…Day 13 – Odyssey
I wake up around 1:30 to go to the bathroom, and I can barely get up. My whole body aches, even more than when I went to bed. I can hardly stand, let alone walk. I use my arms to push myself up. Things aren’t looking good. Oh well, I don’t dwell on it and…
Keep reading…Day 14 – Eternal Fire
I wake up early because I suspect there are bedbugs, and I can’t sleep peacefully. It’s five in the morning, and I decide to get up since I have to leave anyway. I confirm my suspicion when I see a fat bedbug next to my bed. I squash it, and it’s full of blood. I…
Keep reading…Day 15 – The End Of The Camino
Today I wake up late—or at least I try to—since I have the hotel room all to myself. I have breakfast at a café that looks promising, then set off around 8 a.m. The sky is cloudy, ideal for walking. This time I’m walking at a faster pace than yesterday. These are the final 18…
Keep reading…Epilogue
Despite not having it well planned, renting the bike for a random number of days, making an arbitrary guess about where to start, and “losing” the first day by starting on the wrong Camino. Despite leaving quite late on the second day after taking a train to Pamplona and ending up in Burgos, things worked…
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