Walking, Walking, Walking - Buen Camino!

Exhilarating! Now we’ve been walking on the Camino de Santiago for parts of five days. It’s different each day, and always amazing.

The first major walk was three and a half miles on a Roman road with loose stones, steep inclines and declines, and beautiful scenery, rolling hills, grape arbors and fig trees lining the road. I broke out my brand new high tech hiking poles and traversed with glee. How breathtaking to look back from on high at the little village from which we started!

The next day’s hike was a long five-mile stretch through a flat, grassy, wooded area. I started to feel like part of history this day while talking with pilgrims who were doing the whole thing. Even though we're walking mere portions of this ancient path, an endearing “Buen Camino!” feels wonderful to both give and to receive.




On the next day's seven-mile hike (okay, maybe not so gleeful by the end of this long walk!), we moved along a river, viewing huge fields of sunflowers being harvested, reeds in the riverbank, and ending at a Templar church from the 1300s. Oh, my!

And another three-mile hike today, beginning and ending in picturesque mountainous villages with albuerges (pilgrim hostels) and stone houses. We climbed to the peak of a mountain to visit and reflect while laying our own stones at the foot of the iconic La Cruz de Ferro.

Mountains, monasteries, mountain villages, monuments. It's all just marvelous!