The Camino de santiago
Our Trip to Spain in 2023
The bright Spanish sun did not relent as we coaxed our rented mountain bikes up a slight incline toward the albergue with a beehive roof…
My wife and I were about to spend our first night on the Camino de Santiago, an ancient pilgrimage path across northern Spain. A reserved but kind woman offered us the last two beds in the hostel. Since we were a couple, she gave us adjacent cots in a private attic suite with eaves so low that we could barely sit up straight on the cots without bumping our heads. Standing up was out of the question. There were bunkbeds for about ten additional pilgrims on the ground floor below us. The rustic building was situated in a green oasis with a cold, friendly spring flowing into a shallow basin. This section of the Camino is known as the Meseta, an agricultural region with gently rolling hills. The high plain is a verdant green in the spring and the color of dry straw in October when we were there. As evening approached, we were invited to join our fellow travelers for a hearty chicken and vegetable paella in the round, traditional beehive-shaped dining room. We drank an unlabeled dry red wine as we exchanged stories with pilgrims from Germany, France, Spain, Canada, and the US. As we would find out along our 25-day trek, my wife and I, in our sixties, were sharing this part of Spain mostly with people under fifty, with a majority in their twenties and thirties.
By the time we arrived at the tomb of St. James in Santiago de Compostela, we had bicycled 112 miles and walked 165 miles. We shared meals and sometimes walked for days with friends we made along the way. We visited countless churches and museums; drank copious amounts of cafe con leche (coffee with milk); and enjoyed the local red wines (mostly in moderation). We stayed mostly in albergues (hostels), but upgraded occasionally to private bed and breakfasts and small hotels.
Visiting cities like Pamplona, Leon, Santiago, and Bilbao in Northern Spain opened for us a new window on Spain. The provinces of Galicia, Basque Country, Navarre, and La Rioja can be visited without walking the sometimes difficult pilgrim path. There are comfortable public buses and trains that connect all these areas. We spent several days in Madrid appreciating the art and fine food of the capital. We even spent time in the remarkably well preserved medieval city of Toledo. Both cities are easily accessible by public transportation from the north.
Bilbao Guggenheim Museum
Taussig Travel can help plan your trip to Northern Spain, whether you’re interested in a tour or traveling on your own. If you’d like to experience the Camino de Santiago, there are some guided tour options available that make it less stressful. Accommodations on guided tours tend to be in small hotels rather than hostels. If you’d like to do the Camino on your own, give us a call and we can give you some pointers.
Additional Resources
I’m Off Then by Hape Kerkeling- Even if you have no interest in walking the Camino de Santiago, this entertaining and insightful book will give you an impression of the experience. The German author, an overweight, burned out TV comedian, reminds us of Bill Bryson.
Rick Steves Spain– We are fans of Rick Steves and his work to make Europe and its culture accessible to North Americans. His Audio Europe app is free and is also very useful. We recommend buying the paperback version to plan with and the Kindle version to bring along on the trip.
Moon Guide – Camino de Santiago by Beebe Bahrami- This is the guidebook we used for the Camino and we appreciated its detailed discussion of the history and culture of the region. Of course, it was also very helpful with accommodation information.
A Pilgrim’s Guide to the Camino de Santiago by John Brierley- This was probably the book used by the most English-speaking pilgrims when we walked in 2023. Brierley died in 2023, but is still revered by his faithful readers.
The Way (movie) with Martin Sheen– A moving story about a man walking the Camino to honor his late son. Lots of Camino flavor and beautiful landscapes.
Taussig Travel makes a small commission for purchases made from some of the above links.