On Monday, June 27th, 2016, I embarked on perhaps one of my greatest adventures of my life. I flew to Europe and made my way to France so that I could fulfill Adventure Activities and Experiences Bucket list item:

#109) Walk the Camino de Santiago from France to Santiago, Espana.

The Camino de Santiago, also known as the Way of St. James, is 490+ mile pilgrimage across Spain. There are multiple routes, but I had decided to join the traditional Camino Frances Route. This route, in general, starts in St Jean-Pied-de-Port on the French side of the Pyrenees. From there, I became a pilgrim or peregrino and began my walk toward Santiago de Compostela in Spain.

Why does one walk the Camino?

The main purpose for the Camino is to make your way to the city of Santiago de Compostela. It is here where it is believed that the remains of the Apostle St. James the Greater are buried. But, people make the pilgrimage for many other reasons. Some use it as a retreat for their spiritual growth. Others walk to discover their past or reveal their future. There are even some people walking in hopes that a miracle. To them, they believe that the Camino may heal them or someone they love. It all kind of sounds like some mystical, religious, self-discovery adventure right out of a C.S. Lewis or Paulo Coehlo novel.

People walk the Camino de Santiago for many reasons. But while you walk, there are some funny but true things & even a few insanities that'll accompany you on this journey. #CaminodeSantiago #CaminoFrances #BuenCamino
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Funny But True Things about the Camino de Santiago

For me, I walked for a mix of it all discovered a lot about myself and my relationship to others. But while you walk on the Camino for days on end, there are also many real-life quirks, funny truths, and even insanities that accompany you on this journey.

Here are some of the funny but true things about the Camino de Santiago I learned along the Way:

1) You will give away the deed to your house back home for a bottom bunk

It doesn’t seem to matter if you are 18 or 80, the idea of climbing up to the top bunk at the end of a hard day of walking is enough to make anyone cry! In most albergues, it is kind of a first come first serve situation, while in others they have an over 40 rule.  However, you will bargain your treasures for the bottom bunk. If you are unfortunate enough to get the top bunk, then you must take care of everything before the climb because you will then enter the contest of “how long can I hold it before I have to climb back down to use the bathroom!”

2) You will politely HATE ALL CYCLISTS!

The first time you see a cyclist struggling to push their bicycles loaded with their saddle bags up a mountain, a sense of pity will encompass you.  Don’t fret, that will only last about 4 hours because then you will pray for them to crash down a mountain.  Why? Because these cyclist will come zipping by you, out of no where, at top speeds nearly clipping your arms and shoving you off the trail as they happily shout, “Buen Camino!” It’s insanity to say the least.  They own a $1,000 bicycle and can’t afford an effing $2.00 bell to warn you!  Stupid Cyclists… “Buen effin Camino!!”

3) By day three everyone qualifies as a registered podiatrist

Feet, feet, feet!  Everyone discusses their feet or the feet of others on the Camino.  Between blisters, bruises, twisted ankles, and lost toe nails every possible subject regarding feet is discussed – by everyone!  The earliest records of visits paid to the shrine dedicated to St. James at Santiago de Compostela date from the 9th century. So, as you walk you will start to wonder what type of space aged leather the pilgrims used for shoes as the Roman roads beat your feet into mush like Ivan Drago beat Apollo Creed’s face in Rocky IV!

Safety Tip: Walking the Camino de Santiago is a relatively safe adventure. But as in any place you travel please use common sense and stay to main areas while exploring. Plus, with any physical activity, please make sure you pay attention to your body. To give you some added security while in Spain, we strongly recommend that you consider getting Travel Insurance from World Nomads.  It is simple and flexible insurance to keep you safe while tackling any bucket list adventure.

4) Everyone has seen The Way, read The Pilgrimage, & owns a Brierly guidebook

You are so excited to start walking in the beginning, especially after seeing THE WAY or reading The Pilgrimage or your Brierly guidebook!  You will ask everyone if they have seen or read them and openly admit that you they are the catalyst to this adventure for you.  I mean why not, they make it seem so wonderful and easy!  But by the first week, you will wonder what map Martin Sheen had because his character was all over the place! On day 2 you will start to create voodoo dolls of John Brierly and wonder if he has ever even walked the Camino because this is way harder than he describes.  With regards to The Pilgrimage by Paulo Coehlo, you will think he must have been tripping out on some serious shrooms as you walk through towns he visited and had his visions yet see nothing that resembles the mystical world!

5) Spain’s metric system is more of a general average rather than an exact science

Perhaps one of the most insane and funny but true things about the Camino de Santiago has to do with math. Spain’s definition of 1 kilometer seems to vary from place to place and sign to sign with a +/- variance of +4 or +10! Wait or was it -22?

But seriously, reading your guidebook or maps will drive you insane as you walk for endless kilometers on end with no similar scale from day to day.  Even legitimate government road signs will vary along the many hours you spend walking toward Santiago, only to find out the next sign added 5 kilometers to the initial sign you read that morning!

6) You will hate energy & water conservation, but only in the bathroom

Spain seems to be doing wonderful work with energy conservation as you see the beautiful horizons lined with windmills.  However, after awhile you are willing to sign any petition that will get the timers off the bathroom lights or the shower water button to last longer than 38 seconds!

7) No one will question that you are following graffiti to your destination

The Camino de Santiago might be the only time in your life where you will deliberately follow crappy yellow spray painted arrows across an entire country and no one will think you are crazy!  I mean imagine if you were back home and you told your parents that you found some spray paint markings under some bridges or on random trees & you wanted to see where they led. They would definitely try to talk you out of it! But on the Camino, you search for them and start get nervous when you don’t see them after awhile!

8) You will carry the Camino with you every day

No this isn’t some sort of deep thought! This is a literal statement.  Of course, you will carry with you, the symbol of a pilgrim, your scallop shell. But also, every time you take off your boots you will pour out pounds of dirt, rocks, and unknown particles!  Suddenly you will feel like Andy from the Shawshank Redemption as he emptied his escape route into the prison yard.

9) You will become a Pyrenees Snob

Well you might become a Pamplona snob, a Burgos snob, a Leon snob, or another location snob to anyone who starts after you! I mean come on, you suffered far harder circumstances and have become an expert on the Camino in the 3 days before they started! Well, everyone can agree that the jerks that start in Sarria will never understand! It’s weird when you realize your contempt for those who start in Sarria as they complete the bare minimum length of the Camino.  Even in John Brierly’s guidebook, he warns to “Beware of signs of irritation at the intrusion on ‘my’ camino…” as new pilgrims enter at Sarria!

10) You will Gain Weight

The Camino de Santiago must be the only event where you will burn 9 million calories a day hiking and come home 15 lbs. heavier! How? Perhaps, it is because the only things to do besides walking is eating & drinking!  Every day you stop for a second and third breakfast before lunch. Then, there is the pilgrim’s menu served everyday for $10 or less where you eat like Arnold getting ready for a Mr. Universe body building competition.  Plus, with 95% of the Camino participating in Siesta, the only thing you have to do in the afternoons is eat and drink wine or ice cold pints of beer!

11) Everyone smiles in the same language

It doesn’t matter where people are from or how good your foreign language skills are, you will be able to talk to anyone – if you want. Don’t get me wrong, you may become an expert at charades by the end of the Camino, but it will be worth all the laughter and memories!

How to walk your own Camino to Santiago de Compostela

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The post Funny But True Things about the Camino de Santiago appeared first on The Bucket List Project.

** let me start off by saying that I am writing these diary posts from my cell . So please excuse the format, look, possible grammatical errors, and feel of this presentation for normally I would have a laptop but wanted to disconnect is much as possible while walking the Camino de Santiago

July 29, 2016: Sarria – Gonzar

Today started out stressful. I woke up at 4:30 a.m. to get back into my albergue but to no avail.  That is until one of the girls heard me yelling from the street and let me in finally!

From there we walked in the dark. It was the first time I actually needed my headlamp. Because we couldn’t see anything, the walk started out kind of boring.

Later, James and I met up with an Italian woman named Angy who talked with us a bit.  She was doing the Camino for religious reasons which was kind of refreshing to hear. She told me how at the age of 4 she received a personal blessing from Pope John Paul II and it changed her life.

Then we finally made it to the 100 kilometer marker. I didn’t know how to take this milestone. Most of the markers have been counting down and it’s kind of made me sad. There are two types of people that walk the Camino I guess, those that run to the finish line and those who love the race itself. I guess I’m the latter.

From here, we finally made it to Gonzar which is a rundown village but our albergue was a fun community set up. Everyone was hanging out at the little bar relieving the stress of their walk with friendship, laughter, and wine.

July 30, 2016: Gonzar – Melide

We started out at the butt crack of dawn and left in a cold heavy fog and darkness again. Although we walked through the darkness trying not to get lost, it was kind of fun.

There wasn’t much to see in my opinion accept other newer pilgrims entering the Camino. I keep thinking that if I had done just the minimum Sarria to Santiago which often Americans do, I would never want to come back because it’s kind of boring.

Finally we made it to Melide where we ate Pulpo and hung out with even more Irish people.  Melide is a cool small town what was hopping on the Saturday night as we came across several groups of Bachelor parties running around the streets.

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July 31, 2016: Melide – Salcedo

Today was another long rough day. I can tell it’s hard for everyone due to the fact that our bodies have been worked for 31 days straight, this last section is boring compared to the previous weeks, or perhaps we’re all just realizing that the end is near and it’s tiring us down.

We walked through many little Villages that offered some minor views. One of the nerdy highlights for me where these many shelters called Hórreos.   Essentially they are like little sheds raised up about 4 feet off the ground in people’s yards.  Historically they are used for storing corn in order to keep it dry and away from rodents. However I was told that sometimes pilgrims would sneak into them to sleep at night when they couldn’t find a place to stay. To me they’re very cool looking as they look like Cemetery tombs. Though they don’t seem to be of use anymore, they offer a unique look into the traditions of the farmers of Galicia.

Finally we made it into the small town of Salcedo.  Tonight will be our last family dinner before heading into San Diego tomorrow. The thought of this ending kind of saddens me.

August 1, 2016: Salcedo – Santiago

It was a cold slow-moving morning. I have never liked when a vacation, adventure, or anything fun comes to an end and this was no exception.

So we trudged from town to town in the cold stopping from time to time to eat, rest, or just because.  

One of the highlights is near the end called Monte De Gozo. It’s a monument to St. John Paul II and St. Francis of Assisi that overlooks the city of Santiago.

From there we made our descent into the city. We walked through the suburbs following James which is good since the markings were few and he had been there twice before.

Finally we entered Old Town Santiago. The old town is classic which I love. We would wander through the small streets amid the big crowds making our way to the cathedral. Finally we walked through the city arches into the main plaza before the cathedral. It was weird as I looked around at the random pockets of people and the million emotions that were flooding the streets. Some hugged their loved ones, others cheered, a few cried, and all while I sat in silence just observing.

From here we found our pensione and cleaned up before returning to the square to make our way to the pilgrims office to receive a certificate of completion.

From that point, James and I ran into previous characters from The Walk including Athena, Emily, Marie, Denis, Brian, and many others. It was great to see them all again and in such a happy moods.

That evening, James, Brian, Denis, and I celebrated with lots of beer and laughter as we all relaxed… Damn Irish!!

August 2, 2016: Santiago de Compostela

This morning was kind of a dream. I woke up around 8 a.m. and just kind of laid in bed. It’s kind of weird not getting up and walking. Around 10:30, I packed and went to the cathedral. It’s kind of an old-looking Cathedral inside compared to the others we had visited but it was nice nonetheless. After walking around, I got in line to see the Sepulchre of St. James. You enter from behind the Altar and climb first up to the big statue where I touched it while others hugged it. Then you go down beneath the altar to see the tomb of St. James.  You enter into a small room where you look through iron bars at his tomb.  To be honest, it was kind of anti-climactic for me. I guess I will always remember the walk far more than the destination.

Then I went to the pilgrim mass at noon. We were all there. The mass was nice but the highlight was at the end when they swung the giant incense burner.  As everyone watched it all, I finally felt something…a second of soft happiness.

After mass, I ran back to my pensione to grab my gear. It was time for me to leave. I said goodbye to Susanne and Ayeisha first and then James and Saoirse.  They all meant a lot to me on this walk and it was hard to say goodbye as I hug them. Perhaps I will be lucky enough to meet them again in life but for now, they will all be great characters in my life story.

Now it is time to walk the Camino Finisterre & Muxia.

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The post EXCERPTS FROM MY CAMINO DIARY – WEEK 5 appeared first on The Bucket List Project.

** let me start off by saying that I am writing these diary posts from my cell . So please excuse the format, look, possible grammatical errors, and feel of this presentation for normally I would have a laptop but wanted to disconnect is much as possible while walking the Camino de Santiago

July 22, 2016: St. Martin del Camino – Astorga

Today we we returned to the beautiful walk as we walked with Maya, Amelia, and their SoCal family from town to town and through the farms between them.

Our first highlight was Puente de Orbigo. This is one of the longest and rather beautiful bridges along walk. The story goes that this preachers often used for knights to joust to gain honor or settle disputes and as you walked across you could easily imagine the scene.

The second highlight was La Casa de Los Dioses Cantina.  Basically this guy David was living the hippie life in the middle of the wheat fields offering places to sit and relax while he gave away free fruit juices, fruits and vegetables, and time to enjoy his little playful kittens as they reminded you of what is important in life.  His Cantina was perfect and across was the most beautifully tall wheat.  I walked across into the field and looked up as the blue sky hovered so close I could touch it.

As I walked into Astorga, I realized that this may have been the first day where all of us were joyful and silly together all the once.  It was amazing as silly photos, singing, word games, and lots of laughter filled the days walk.

After arriving, I went to explore.  Astorga is a classic and clean city with a plaza that is full of life. It even has the building designed by Gaudi next to their cathedral. Later we were treated to a great family dinner cooked by the Irish family and then returned to the plaza for ice cream while watching the locals celebrate their Friday night.

July 23, 2016: Astorga – Foncebadon

Last night I froze again!

We left really early again. I think the heat is too much for some people and others seem to be done walking. Everyone always seems shocked when I tell them I would love to do this longer, or I don’t mind the heat, or I’m not home sick at all.

The walk out of Astorga was relatively easy as we drifted in the cool morning. Even the moon refused to leave us as it guided us until noon.

Apparently we passed the area where a few years back a female pilgrim was misled by fake markers, kidnapped, and then murdered.  We walked through this supposed zone quietly.

Now Rabanal was our main stop for lunch.  It’s a beautiful town that made me feel like we entered a small alpine village. Apparently there’s up Benedictine monastery there that accepts pilgrims for a silent 2 night  retreat.  Perhaps next time.

From here we left toward Foncebadon. The climb was hard and reminded me of our first weekend the Pyrenees.  Personally, I loved it.  Sure it was hot and the path was extremely slippery and rocky, but I loved the challenge.

Finally we made it to this small hamlet.  It was basically a small area of several albergues amid ruins of other buildings on the side of the mountain…it was perfect.  This is perhaps the town where Paolo Coelho battles the devil dog in his book The Pilgrimage. We just sat outside enjoying the view of the valley below and the cool breeze.

July 24, 2016: Foncebadon – Ponferrada

The beautiful morning walk!

I awoke in a great mood.  We left and proceeded up the mountain under an amazing sky.  As the sun rose slowly, we witnessed unbelievable colors crossing through the sky.  We were all in awe.

As we continued, we arrived at the famous Cruz de Ferro.  People often leave a stone or a token at the foot of the cross.  I personally just left my thoughts.

It was a hard walk down Alto Altar, but the beautiful scenery, cool weather, and small villages kept us in good spirits along the way.

By around lunchtime we made it to Molinaseca.  The town has a classic old town but what I really thought was cool was how they created a public swimming area in the Rio Meruelo.  We ate lunch and watched pilgrims and locals alike jumping into the crystal clear cold river to cool off or relieve their aches.

Now the walk to Ponferrada was boring, long, and hot along the highway.  We finally made it to St. Nicholas de Flue, an albergue run by Franciscans.  

Ponferrada was also a boring town.  The only highlight was a giant castle built by the Knights Templar but it was closed.

Later I joined up with Fr Jeff and his friend Jared to celebrate his birthday. While celebrating, we met a girl from Dublin named Sinead.  She was eating all alone in nice clothes reading a Camino guidebook while the three of us looked sun beaten, dusty, and run down.  Fr Jeff asked her to join us and she revealed that tomorrow would be her first day walking the Camino and she was so nervous.  It was fun to see her like this as I tried to think about how I was 24 days prior in St. Jean when I started.

July 25, 2016: Ponferrada – Trabadelo

Herman the German Snored!!!

Last night was a horrible night’s sleep!  For the first time in a while, I got a bottom bunk which was great.  However, Herman the German, as we called him, had the top bunk.  He would toss and turn or jump in and out of bed several times for the first two hours.  It felt like an earthquake as he would shake the wobbly metal bunk bed.  Then after he finally settled, the snoring commenced!  He was so loud that everyone in the dorm room heard him.  I think in total I slept for one hour!

Then we left.  The day was hot and long.  Couple that with my lack of sleep led to a cranky morning.

Finally we reached Trabadelo.  There isn’t much to this village but our albergue hosts were great.  They allowed us to use their private pool to cool off and then cooked us a great dinner.  

Later I crashed into my soft bed.

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July 26, 2016: Trabadelo – O’Cebreiro

I woke up refreshed and happy.

The walk was beautiful as we followed the Rio Pereje through many little villages.  They all had unique personality as we moved closer to the Galicia border.

Then the climb came as we went up 700 meters away from the Castille y Leon region and into Galicia.

Finally we made it to O’Cebreiro atop the mountain.  This area has a unique Celtic feel to it.  After checking into the pension, I found a beautiful spot overlooking the valley to sit and smoke a cigar as the cool breeze relaxed me.

For dinner, I joined a group from Denmark and Holland as we discussed the world, travel, and life.  I’m always impressed that so many foreigners can speak English so well and how I struggle to speak minimalistic Spanish.

July 27, 2016: O’Cebreiro – Triacastela

A walk in the Fog!

Today started out with a snafu.  After hiking up the mountain for about 1 kilometer, I realized I had forgotten my cell phone and had to go back.  Luckily, I was feeling great and was able to run back down and then back up fast enough to catch up with everyone.

It was great though as I was able to witness a beautiful sunrise over the massive fog.  We were so high up that some of the other mountain peaks looked like islands floating in the sea of fog.

Soon though, the fog would overtake us.  But it was actually a blessing as it cooled us off during the hard uphills and downhills.

Finally we arrived at Triacastela.  This town is beautiful as it follows along a small river.  Everywhere you hear Galician music and see celtic symbols.  

I did a little exploring and later went to mass at their “Cathedral” de Santiago.  Then, we enjoyed a home cooked dinner as sat in the beautiful yard of our albergue.

July 28, 2016: Triacastela – Sarria

Today we had decided to finally take one of the scenic routes to see an ancient Benedictine monastery.  It would add an extra 6km to our walk but it seemed worth it.  Sadly, it was kind of a let down.  We walked in cool temperatures passed farms but there were no towns to stop in, so it felt like a very long walk. Finally we got to the Monastery.  Walking down towards it was amazing as it looked like a fortress.  It is reported as one of the oldest in all Europe so I was excited to see its history.  But to no avail.  The monastery is pretty much closed off except for the gift shop.  You can take a tour but it was at specific times and only in spanish, so we passed.

From there we took the long “scenic” path back to the main Camino and on to Sarria.  Sarria was a nice town and soon we met up with Fr Jeff, Jared, and Sinead.

Then my disastrous night began. Fr Jeff, Jared, Sinead, and I hadn’t eaten so we left to find food.  The guys wanted burgers buy Sinead and I wanted Pulpo (octopus).  So we went down to restaurant row by the river, ate, and returned.  Sinead went to her pension and I went up to my albergue only to find it locked!!  I hadn’t realized that we had a curfew especially since it was just the Irish family, James, and I in the place.  So I started knocking on the front door and yelling to the second floor where my roommates were.  After an hour, I desperately needed a bathroom, so I went in search of that and a place to stay.  I first checked the pension that Sinead was staying at.  When I walked in looking for the hospitelero, Sinead was there.  I told her that I was locked out and was desperate for a bathroom and she offered to help.  She was a life saver.  

Throughout the Camino, it would amaze me how pilgrims would often help each other out.  No one seemed a stranger on the walk, always looking out for one another.  Though I didn’t sleep due to the stress of the situation, I felt lucky.

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