Traveling the Camino

June 30 Today was a bus day since I can't bend my right foot to walk and the weather is so cold I'm worried my cold will get worse if I push myself in the cold weather. Sibel decided to bus just because she didn't feel like walking today which is ridiculous. She even paid to get her bag sent ahead and then just bussed because she heard I was bussing. I feel like it makes people think I'm as lazy as she is and just bussing because I don't feel like walking. But honestly I'm in so much pain and I have to walk on the outside of my foot which 1 makes my shin hurt so bad and 2 means I walk really slowly and it would've taken me forever to walk the 27 km to this town. The morning was pretty boring waiting for the bus since the buses don't come often and it was about 45 minutes late so I just sat in a cafe watching Netflix for 5 hours and then got to the albergue had a sandwhich with emma and Marnix and caroline and then took a nap while icing my foot. Most...

June 29 I've been pretty bad about blogging lately. The past 2 days have been very difficult so down time is filled with naps and eating and then early to bed. I'm definitely sick. My nose runs constantly and I have a cough and sneeze. And when I lay down my sinuses get congested and it's hard to breath out of my nose. Yesterday we hiked 25 km still on the meseta so it was relatively flat. But my right arch bothered me a lot and I walked alone for the second half of the day. The day began early and hiking straight up a mountain and then straight down and emma and marnix were nice enough to wait for me every couple kilometers but eventually it started raining and so they didn't wait in the rain. The highs are around 65 degrees with 26 mph wind and rain and clouds so it's very cold and making my illness worse. Luckily I missed most of the rain in a cafe although I definitely didn't miss all of it. The walk was difficult because I was in so much pain and the...

June 27 Today's will be a fairly short blog since it's already 10pm and I'm waking up early to hike on the meseta for day 3 out of 9 and I want to beat the heat. Today was our "test day" where we only hiked 10km to Castrojeriz which is a fairly large town on the meseta. My right ankle hurt a little and when we got here I finally did my laundry so I have clean clothes to wear for tomorrow. This morning was pretty chaotic although it was short. We left at around 730 so we got to sleep in for the first time in weeks and then took the "mythical path" Kip told us about. So we get to the ruins of San Anton monestary and take a left which leads to the albergue and then further down the road to a covenant which makes homemade pastries. So we get to a small town with a church along the way and the church looks deserted and has a creepy old swing set so me and emma sit down and send marnix to go ask the locals for directions and he comes back and tells us that...

June 26 Burgos was absolutely beautiful and I ate so well. We got tapas and pizza and it was so filling. The city also had a huge parade so every plaza was filled with bands and balloons and people everywhere celebrating it simply being the weekend. Today we walked about 34 km which was long but since my Achilles doesn't hurt anymore it felt so much better than the previous weeks. Emma marnix and I stayed at some albergue Juan yepes that gave us a 4 person room with a private bathroom for 8 euros which was an amazing change than the usual 40 person dorm rooms. The pilgrim meal was paella and salad and banana and peaches covered in chocolate which was delicious and very filling. It was nice to finally have some privacy and just lay in bed and watch Netflix with some silence. I'm beginning to get sick so I went to bed early and slept about 11 hours after taking a Benadryl at night at dinner to help me get a good nights sleep. It was exhausting day and our first day on the mes...

June 25 It's been 2 weeks since I left america which means 5 weeks to go. I keep thinking it's been so long but we still have so far to go. We're probably about 1/3 of the way done with the Camino since we get to Santiago on July 17 and then continue to walk the 87 km to the coast of Spain. Each night has been spent in an different city in northern spain and the first 2 nights in southern France. Currently sitting in a plaza in Burgos at a concert for some native girl who has the most beautiful voice I've ever heard singing indie and reggae music. I'm falling in love. Today I walked the full 28 km and my Achilles felt amazing. I kept up with emma rn and marnix too who both walk abou 3 mph or 5-6 km so I felt really accomplished. I missed walking and was amazed at how much better walking is when I can do it mostly painfree. Hopefully the injury stays healed and I can continue walking without being in pain or bussing. It also was a lot of fun to walk with emma and...

June 24 Today was another rest day in hopes my tendonitis will finally heal and I'll be able to walk mostly painfree. I feel embarrassed that I keep taking the bus but I've never dealt with serious injury and so I'm very cautious to avoid any life long injuries for a walking trip. I made the mistake of googling symptoms and treatments of tendonitis and it says if not treated properly it will rupture and then I'll really be unable to walk. So I'm playing it safe for now which is frustrating but I also know it's the best option at the end of the day. I kind of miss walking. Or at least feeling included when people talk about the days hike. The pain may not be the unifying experience but rather that everyone regardless of occupation, nationality, religion, race, sexuality, etc all experiences the same hills and same scenery. I miss understanding the pain and exhaustion at the end of the day Yesterday was a really fun day. I feel like I'm finally back to ...

June 23 If we're being honest I've been getting drunk most nights here. The sangria and white wine is delicious and so cheap it's easy to buy a bottle and drink with friends during dinner. It's been really fun. Not just because of the alcohol but also because drinking with good company just makes it that much better. Today was not my best day. I walked about 7 km to the first town and began crying in pain as I walked from my Achilles. My tendonitis is getting worse. So I sat a bis station in granon waiting for a bus for about an hour I decided to walk to a near albergue to ask for directions but couldn't find it snd as I was walking back to the bus stop I saw my bus drive past and not stop because there was no one at the bus stop. So I sat again and soon enough another bus came but going the opposite direction so the none English speaking driver directed me further down the road so I began walking again and some woman came out of her house and started yelling th...

June 22 Yesterday I took the bus since it was a 29 km day and the first 20 km were constant uphill. I knew my Achilles would hurt and I didn't want to be unable to find a bus in the middle of the walk so I slept in and then took the bus with Sibel. She hadn't set an alarm and woke up at 515 to find everyone gone and said she didn't wanna walk alone so she decided to take the bus with me. Finding it was pretty complicated since it was a big city but we used the city maps and when all else failed asked natives "donde est autobus?" My Spanish is very poor but it's at least decent enough to communicate basic things like asking for directions. We had breakfast at a cafe on the river in Najera and then wandered the town and sat in the shade outside a bar and drank a pitcher of sangria until Emma and marnix got to town around 11. They both were exhausted so we all took naps and then had class. The topic for class was about Thoreau who talked about your spirit mus...

Every night is so hot. The albergues never have AC and even the breeze doesn't seem to do much. So I haven't used my sleeping bag in about 4 nights. Just sleep in shorts and a sports bra to keep as cool as possible and pray the temp gets cold enough outside the cool air blows in so I can sleep without being drenched in sweat. My sun burn is still peeling and very sensitive so my pack rubbing against it it's great. I woke up this morning and started hiking around 445 and as soon as I woke up my Achilles hurt. But I walked pretty well for a couple hours. The problem was today was a lot of uphill which stretches out the tendons and hurts more so the last couple miles were unbearable. I walked to Viana about 11 km and then Emma and marnix helped me find a bus.  The problem is I can't figure out how to look up bus schedules so I just sat on a bench near a sign that said "no parking except bus and taxi" in hopes it was a bus stop and just waited for almost an h...

its hard to find time to blog lately i don't know why. Yesterday was one of the hardest days. It seemed to go on forever. My Achilles is still bothering me and the last 5 kilometers seemed to never end. I laid down in some random town and put my feet up on a bench to reduce some swelling in hopes it would help with my sore feet and then also changed shoes to give my feet a break. It was hard walk. My feet were exhausted and my brain was not prepared to do that much work. By the end I was crying while I walked. I ran out of water and the road seemed to continue with no end in sight. Eventually I got to the albergue around 1230 and took a 4 hour nap until class and then had dinner and went back to sleep by 930 since we had to wake up early to hike So today was hot again. High of 98 degrees. Every day is sweltering hot. Emma hurt her knee yesterday going down a rocky hill and so she walked slowly with me. Emma marnix will and I left the albergue around 430 this morning. My Achilles ...

June 17 Well I bailed out this morning and took the bus. I woke up and got ready to go for the hike but my Achilles was so painful I broke down crying from the pain. So at 6am while the rest of the group gathered to begin their hike, I waddled the opposite way towards the bus station. The city was actually beautiful that early and there were very few people so it was very peaceful. When I finally got to the bus station I sat on a bench and just people watched for about 30 minutes since the first bus didn't leave until 730 and I had time to kill. At around 7 I walked downstairs into the bus station and bought my ticket. The bus ride was beautiful. The scenery was mountains and golden fields spread out far so that it looks like the dessert. It was only 25 minutes and the bus dropped me off in the center of town. I walked to the nearest little cafe and got a chocolate crossaint and hot chocolate and then watched orange is the new black on my phone while I watched other pilgrims wa...

June 16 Today was a long day but not a hard day. We didn't have wifi the albergue last night which is why I didn't post until the next day. We hiked about 10 miles today but we made multiple stops so it took until about 1am to get to Pomplona. I finally bought a SIM card so I have data now which makes my life much easier. I won't use it much except if I don't have wifi at an albergue or need directions to someplace around town. I walked pretty fast in the beginning but my Achilles is bothering me so I spent the last 2 miles hobbling slowly down the street with Emma and Marnix who were nice enough to walk slow with me to make sure I didn't get lost coming into the city. I'm really scared of tendonitis so once we got to the albergue I didn't go to the market with the rest of the group in hopes that Resting it would help it heal before the tendons get worse. Pomplona is the first major city we've come to so far and it didn't disappoint. I've hea...

We have class each day at 5pm and talk about history of the Camino and the religious history of pilgrimages. Yesterday we talked about the difference between a pilgrim and a tourist. A tourist is constantly looking for the next adventure. They bring their culture into the place they travel too. A pilgrim immerses themselves in a situation and simply lives in the moment, allowing themselves to be closer to a higher being or to their own soul. So far, I think I am both. I want to be a true pilgrim. Someone who allows myself to be completely present and learn about myself and the world. But I also think I am still a tourist. I am still stuck in my head about problems and want to seek happiness and adventure.  For the class we have to talk to other pilgrims about their reasoning for joining the class and I think I want to focus on thankfulness. I want to ask people what they are thankful for and who they think they have to thank for blessings. This trip has already taught me in a ...

june 14 Luckily today was a much needed break from yesterday's fiasco. We only hiked about 6 miles and stopped at a cafe in burgete where I just bought cold water and pet a big husky on the patio. The weather was hot today and we started later at 10 am because we took the shuttle to the same shrine we started at last time and this time went the correct way on the Camino. Today was fairly flat and a lots of shade with 1 big hill that I had to stop a couple times on to catch my breath. Again, I was the last one so caroline walked with me at my slow pace. I feel bad she has to be a sweeper since the whole motto of the trip is hike at your own pace. I wish we didn't have to walk as a group and so I could simply start earlier and walk at my pace alone listening to my audiobooks I downloaded or talk to other pilgrims. The road isn't very busy but I did meet a man from Minneapolis Minnesota today which I was excited to find another Minnesotan. I'm looking forward to listen...

June 13 Well happy birthday to me. Today we started the Camino. We walked 16 miles through the Pyrenees mountains which was worse than it sounds. To be fair, we took a shuttle to the a shrine and then hiked backwards towards St Jean Pied de Port but that doesn't mean we cheated. The first 4 miles or so we're a straight climb uphill which my legs and my heart were not prepared for. Of course I took up the rear simply bc I had to stop so much to catch my breath and stretch out my calves. But I made it and thought it could only get easier right? Wrong. The next couple miles were great. It was mostly a slow downhill through some woods so there was good leafy coverage and my legs were feeling great especially since I was using hiking polls. And then it got really hot as we came out to a hilly and rocky area. We started pretty late in the day (11am) since we had to take a hurtle which was only available at 10 and then the car rides was fairly long. So we hiked during the hottest ...

I say day Day 1 because officially it is June 12 in France. After a 7 hour plane to London, a 2 hour plane to Bilbao, and then another 2 hour bus ride to St Jean Pied de Port, I am at the beginning of the pilgrimage. The walk starts down the main street of town so I have stepped foot many times on the Camino de Santiago as of this morning. I have slept 5 hours out of the last 36 or so. Lack of sleep partly due to how uncomfortable the plane was, but the majority of it being excited and avoiding napping during the day as instructed in order to get acquainted to the time zone. Today has been mostly spent walking around the town and simply exploring. I have made quite a few friends who have walked and shopped with me. The town is beautiful. The mountains are steep and lush and although cloudy, fog covers the tips of them to make them seem even more majestic. The architecture of the buildings is extraordinary too. I have not seen so many houses in this style before today. Many of the hou...

As I sit on the plane about to depart for London England, I am calm. For the first time in weeks I can think about this trip clearly. For the past months, I have been preparing to hike the El Camino de Santiago, a 500 mile pilgrimage through northern Spain. I'll admit, most of that preparation included simply reminding myself I should be packing or hiking to prepare my gear and body for this journey. 48 hours ago I was having a panic attack and crying to my dad saying I couldn't do it. But Friday afternoon, I got onto the flight from Minneapolis Minnesota to Washington DC. At the very least, I would get to see my wonderful boyfriend Nate so I toughened up and boarded the plane, unsure if the next time I got into a plane would be to Spain or back home to Minnesota. Sad and defeated. But here I am. Sitting on a late international flight with 8 other college students and 2 leaders.  I'm not sure what persuaded me to sign up for this trip. Last fall, my roommate was signi...