Camino del Norte Day 19-22: Pola de Siero to Oviedo to Barcelona

Talk about coming full circle. 

As it turns out my Camino a Santiago ended, not in Oviedo three days ago, but today in Barcelona. Walking along the beach—no sneakers or trekking poles in sight—one last time. 

It’s been a long five weeks. They’ve also gone by in the blink of an eye. 

I spent the first week of my Spain adventure in Valencia, on a completely Camino del Norte un-related visit. Or maybe I shouldn’t say unrelated. This whole trip has given me, from beginning to end, so much to think about. In a way, it’s all interconnected.

Camino reflections

On Sunday, as I walked out the door of my Pola de Siero apartment it felt so different. Different from when I walked the last stage into Santiago on the Camino Frances two years ago.

The Camino del Norte is, in so many ways, the polar opposite of the French Way.

For one, because I was ending my Camino in Oviedo there was a feeling of something not quite finished. But that’s on me. 

The Northern Way is breathtakingly beautiful. On such a scale and so often that it starts to become a blur. On the French Way the beauty is more subtle. It is often found in little things like the rippling of the wheat fields in the wind. Or the smell of the wildflowers. The birds’ song. A sunrise. 

The French Way is in many ways about the personal connections you make. About the traveling village that seems to be moving along with you for weeks on end. Whether you’re staying in dormitory-style accommodations or albergues it does not matter. Along the French Way there is nothing else. This is what is known as La España Vacía or Empty Spain. It’s a region that, while chock full of incredible history, would not exist if not for the Camino a Santiago. Every day a new group of pilgrims move into town talking it over. There is nothing else. 

The Northern Way is solitary. In a way that’s hard to comprehend for someone who’s already completed the French Way.  Only about 5% of pilgrims walk the Camino del Norte. On a physical level it much harder. It’s also more expensive. Why? For one, you’re walking along the coastline. That means tourism. As in regular tourists, not just hikers. This is also the most prosperous part of Spain. That means industry. At the end of the day you’re staying in much bigger towns. Pilgrims get lost in the crowd. If you are, as I was, staying in private accommodations, you very rarely meet other peregrinos.

Those I did meet were along the Camino del Norte itself. Especially during that first week. Maybe because there were fewer variants. I’m not sure. I walked on and off with different folks. With only one exception, I never saw anyone for more than a day or two. 

Arriving in Oviedo: “He who goes to Santiago, but not to El Salvador, visits the servant, but forgets the Lord.”

And so as I walked into Oviedo reflecting on my journey, I walked in thinking this was all very anti-climactic. 

I was, very proud of what I’d accomplished. This may have been half the distance of my first Camino a Santiago but it felt much more difficult. There were days in that first week I asked myself, “Am I going to make it?”

And then, as it always does when in times of need,…the Camino provided.

I entered Oviedo, on approach to the Old Town, ready to take my last steps when I ran into Robbie. The one pilgrim I kept running into consistently throughout the three plus weeks. He and his son are walking together. We walked together for short spurts a handful of times. We would run into each other at cafes along the Way. I assumed they would be continuing on the Camino del Norte. I didn’t expect to see them again once I got off the path heading to Oviedo. We saw each other, laughed and hugged. Robbie said he and his son had always planned to branch off and continue along the Camino Primitivo to Santiago. We quickly arranged to meet up later for a celebratory glass of wine. Something clicked.

In Santiago I’d started sobbing as soon as I heard the bagpipes welcoming pilgrims into the Plaza de Obradoiro. In Oviedo I entered the main square with a sense of peace and fulfillment. 

I sat down for a bit, taking it all in. I took some photos and meandered along to the hotel I would be spending the next two nights in.

Oviedo is nothing short of gorgeous. I loved the city and definitely felt I was left with more to explore. It’s also the place where it all began. The Camino a Santiago that is. More than 1200 years ago when news came that the remains of St. James had washed ashore in Galicia it was King Alfonso II who became the Way’s first pilgrim. He walked from his kingdom in Oviedo to what is now Santiago de Compostela. Convinced these were the remains of St. James, he ordered the construction of a shrine to house them. That shrine was built where the Cathedral now stands.

In terms of grandeur, the Catedral of San Salvador in Oviedo pales in comparison to Santiago. And yet, this is a sacred place for Catholics. A blood-stained cloth, said to have been wrapped around Jesus’s head following his crucifixion is among the relics housed here.

In Oviedo there is a saying. Roughly translated it goes: “He who goes to Santiago and not to El Salvador, visits the servant, but forgets the Lord.”

My Camino a Santiago ends in…Barcelona?

Getting onto the plane to Barcelona yesterday morning I reasonably thought that my Camino was over. 

I was wrong. 

I got off the plane to a Facebook message. It was from Eloise. She and Bill were in Barcelona. The had just finished biking the Camino Portuguese from Porto to Santiago and then on to Finisterre. 

Who are Bill and Eloise? They are, simply put, part of my extended Camino a Santiago Family. We met two years ago in Saint Jean Pied de Port the day before starting the French Way. I can’t remember it exactly. I was walking down the street, and Bill said something to me as I passed. It was comment on my baseball cap. Throughout the five weeks Bill, Eloise and I would run into each other often. We would share short walks together, conversations, coffees, tintos de verano, and meals in rest towns along the Way.

Thanks to the joys of social media we’ve stayed in touch. We knew we were embarking on our respective Caminos. We were however doing completely different routes. There was no logical way we would run into each other. What we did not know is we would be converging in Barcelona at the end of our journeys.

And so yesterday, we met up. Before that it had already been a really good day. It was a day of catch-ups, if you will. The first one was with another friend I met during cycling camp in Girona three years ago. We went to what is allegedly the second best pizzeria in the world. By the time I met up with Bill and Eloise, we only had about an hour. I had previously purchased tickets for a flamenco concert at the ridiculously beautiful Palau de la Música Catalana. They generously offered to meet me at a bar across the street. It wasn’t long, but it was enough. And it was what I needed to bring this whole Camino del Norte journey to a close. 

On the beach this morning as i dipped my toes in the Mediterranean everything felt right with the world. I was finally ready to go home. 

---

Today’s Stats:

Distance: 10.75 miles (17.3km)

Elevation gain: N/A

Walking Time: 4hrs 15 min

---

Food and Accommodation

Hotel de la Reconquista. Sadly, there is no Parador in Oviedo. Happily the Hotel de la Reconquista was there to fill most of my history buff meets post-Camino splurge needs. Sadly the façade was being remodeled while I was there. So I didn’t get to fully appreciate the beauty of this XVIII century hospice building turned luxury hotel. It’s also a bit farther from the Old Town than I would have preferred. Should I go back to Oviedo to walk the Camino Primitivo I will likely look for something better located. Other than that I really enjoyed my stay.

Lunch: La Corte de Pelayo. Billed as one of Oviedo’s top restaurants I chose this for my first post-Camino del Norte meal. While the food was excellent, the restaurant is clearly too popular for its own good. The service was lacking from beginning to end.

Lunch: Casa Ramón. Being in Oviedo on a Monday meant most places were closed. Happily, Casa Ramon, wasn’t. If google tells you it’s closed, ignore it. Unlike the day before, service here was outstanding. Being a Monday many things weren’t available. Apparently the fish market closes on Mondays. It hardly mattered. The fabas with clams were sublime.