Distance: 23k (14.17mi)  Elevation Gain: 460m (1,510ft) Duration: 5h 39m Steps: 31,612 Calories: 1,544 Country cottages are the best. But so are perfectly curated boutique hotels with monkeys on the wallpaper. Such is the nature of accomodations on the Camino. Over the last five weeks I’ve had a little bit of everything. Five star Paradores, converted monasteries, simple B&B’s with no more than a handful of rooms.  I’m going to let you in on a little secret. As much as I love the luxury and creature comforts of the five stars, it is those small, family-run inns that have stolen my heart. The place I left today is one of…

Distance: 25.4K (15.84mi) Elevation gain: 585m (1,919ft)  Duration: 6h 18m Steps: 30,742 Calories: 1,770 Can you imagine standing in the middle of ruins that date back to 400BC…With only one other person for company? That was, but a part of yet another extraordinary day on the Camino a Santiago, that included getting a Templar stamp from a blind man and a day out for vintage car owners. On my 29th day. I sit here,  writing in the backyard of Casa Blanco, my country home for the night. I have a glass of red for company, and there are cows from a nearby shed mooing in the background. It is quite idyllic.…

Distance: 23.1k (14.41mi)  Elevation gain: 459m (1,505ft) Duration: 4h 56m Steps: 29, 337 Calories: 1,543 I am now less than 100K from Santiago. I also got my first blister. Not sure what’s the bigger headline here. There goes my superhuman feet theory. I clearly got cocky, because despite having a ton of blister pads with me, I had already taken them out of my daypack, confident I wouldn’t need them. Thank goodness for a lovely Irish family that came to my rescue as I sat, examining my feet by the side of the road.  Blister aside it was quite a nice walk….despite suddenly having about 10x more people on the…

Distance: 31.75k (19.72mi) Elevation gain: 504m (1,653ft) Duration: 7h 48m Steps: 39,661 Calories: 2,008 Takeout pizza and a bottle of wine. That’s my definition of heaven right now. Especially after so long on the road. And especially when my room has a massive balcony with a lovely view, and the city I’m in is way too busy for my current level of exhaustion and zen. BTW, I just realized that one month ago today I set out on my first day of the Camino. Also, as of right now I only have five walking days left. How did that happen? And how have I not fallen apart yet?  Today was…

Distance: 30k (18.5mi) Elevation gain: 842m (2,763ft) Duration: 7h 17m Steps: 41,584 Calories: 2,175 I love O’Cebreiro. There is literally nothing to do here. But the tiny mountain-top village, with its stone buildings and clear Celtic influence is right out of a fairytale. The town’s biggest draw is a IX century church, inside which there is grail credited with turning wine into blood. Back in the day, Santa María La Real used to ring its bells at night to guide pilgrims through the mist as they made their way up the long, hard climb. O’Cebreiro is the first village along the Way in the autonomous region of Galicia: rainy, lush,…

This is what a true rest day on the Camino a Santiago looks like. There was no sightseeing. No nights on the town. There was rest and a manicure. That’s about it. My last rest day along the Camino, I always knew this one would likely look a little like this. I chose to stay in Ponferrada because of the Templar Castle, but having visited it the day before, I was quite aware there was little else to see or do in town. I have to say I truly enjoyed the previous evening in Ponferrada. This is clearly a city that comes to life on Sunday nights. And it does…

Distance: 33k (20.7mi) Elevation gain: 585m (1,918ft) Elevation loss: 1100m (3,609ft) Duration: 9h 6m Steps: 43,039 Calories: 2,232 What a day. It was filled with kitty cats and salamanders. And a chorus of croaking frogs after the rain. Just enough to bring out the waterproof gear, then put it away again. There were stunning mountain vistas, valley floors, and an incredibly treacherous, rocky descent that went on for miles. There were moments of profound symbolism, followed by folk dancing. And there were school children on Camino with a Templar Castle at the end. It’s almost too much to wrap my head around. So much happened on this nearly 21-mile stage.…

Distance: 13.35mi (21.5km) Elevation: 705ft (215m) Duration: 5h 05m Calories: 979 Steps: 37,594 I got serenaded today!! And got a really big hug from my hostess as I departed her wonderful country home….and then, as if some invisible line was crossed, the road turned upward and I began walking into a forest. The Meseta is finally over!!! WOHOOO!!! I’m not sure I could have taken another day of that monotony.  This was a good day. It was also the first day since my journey began I legitimately got really crabby for a while there. I left Molino Galochas around 7:15am. The promise of another 95 degree day making me leave…