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…

I tried making friends with a Siamese kitty today. Then I noticed the mouse in his mouth. But never mind that. As of now, I’m technically no longer on the Camino del Norte. I left my pension in Villaviciosa around 8:15am. I knew there was no point in leaving early. The Monastery I planned on visiting doesn’t open till 10:30am. Also it was raining and I was procrastinating.  Adding to the delays, I left my trekking poles in my room so I had to double back. A fork in the road: Leaving the Camino del Norte Once under way, the first six miles went by quickly. Before I knew it I…

I literally don’t know where I am anymore. I’ve gotten to that point on this Camino del Norte. I know I left Colunga following a wonderful stay at my little Casa Indiana with its adorable attic room and perfect garden. Today being such a short day I was able to sleep in. I had a leisurely breakfast and left close to 10am. I was at my destination just after 2pm. The walk itself was quite rolling, up and down, through beautiful countryside. Most of it transpired along pavement. But there were some forays into forested trails. After days of rain however, the trails were quite muddy and slippery.  In any…

I said goodbye to the sea today and I didn’t even know it.  Leave it to me. As I left Ribadasella this morning blue skies reigned. Convinced that my finish town for today was on the water I dreamed of spending a lazy afternoon chilling on a nice sandy beach. I’ve wanted to do this since I started walking the Camino del Norte and it just never happened. I always knew Northern Spain was on the cooler side, but I never realized how cool. As far as hiking goes, the weather has been gorgeous. With the sun out it will on occasion even feel warm. But the evenings are always…

Today would have been Grandma’s birthday. Somehow I think she would appreciate what I’m doing, walking the Camino del Norte. She did like to walk after all. And would, into her late 70’s and early 80’s outwalk my parents on their yearly trips to Europe.  Also, I took a bus. Grandma would have approved of that too. She wasn’t into doing shit she didn’t want to. And today I didn’t want to walk 30K.  I had a spectacular start to my day. There is no other way to describe it. A coastal road that was once again, a choice. One that left absolutely NOTHING to be desired. Barely an hour…

It rained. And then it rained some more. It was one of those days on the Camino del Norte, but it was all worth it. I knew from last night I would wake up to rain. But the advance knowledge didn’t make it any easier. I tried procrastinating for a bit, but it was pointless. For the first three and a half hours of today’s walk it just came down. I stopped for coffee stops twice to dry out a bit and let the worst of it pass. The second time was the charm. Not only did I run into Robbie, my erstwhile American buddy on the Camino, It stopped…

Indianos. When I first heard the name used to refer to those Spaniards who emigrated to the Americas in search of fortune during the 1800’s I found it somewhat odd and even offensive. And then it clicked. Back when Christopher Columbus first “discovered” America he was in search of the Indies. Hence the moniker. And then it clicked even further. The Indiano story The village where the Camino del Norte took me to today may as well be a small village in Zacatecas, Mexico. What do I mean by that? Kind of like Comillas yesterday, Colombres back in the day was a tiny village that relied on agriculture to survive. During…

Today was cheat day number three on the Camino del Norte. Also, I walked past an energy plant AND visited a replica of a prehistoric cave. Huh? Leaving my apartment at 8am, I walked to the station and boarded my last train of the Camino del Norte. Looking to bypass the long industrial section, I boarded downtown and got off at the town of Mogro. Why there specifically? This stage was always going to include a train. There is a one stop ride most pilgrims take to get across a river. The only other options are to take a 5 mile (8K) detour or walking directly on the train tracks….which…

Wow. The Camino del Norte sure knows how to pack a big punch into such a short day. I walked alongside incredible cliffs and beaches, took a ferry across the Bay of Santander and ate pig’s tripe. It was scrumptious. But don’t judge me. I thought I’d ordered the scallops! 🙈 I’m now more than halfway through my Camino. Around 154 miles (247K) in. A week ago I wasn’t sure I’d get here to be honest. Such was the difficulty of the first few days.  After three back-to-back-to-back long walking days it was a relief to only have around nine miles (15K) to walk today.  It allowed for a late,…