Camino de Santiago - Walk With me!

640km - 28 days walking from Lisbon, Portugal, to Santiago de Compostela, Spain

Heeey guys! Howdy??

I usually don’t post personal stuff here on Patreon, but this is something I really wanted to share with you.

I invite you to walk with me for 2 minutes with this video :)

Ah man.. Where do I even start? (Get ready for a BOOK)

When I was 16, my mom was having a bit of a life crisis and was looking for options for a “spiritual journey”. That’s when I heard her talk about the Camino - “You walk for a month, everyday, with just what you take with you in your backpack. You sleep in Albergues, walk through nature and historical towns and get to meet other pilgrims, until you reach Santiago de Compostela”. The Camino has had a huge influence in Europe’s formation and people have been walking it since the 9th Century. She discarded the idea since it was way too rustic for her taste, but that stayed buried in my heart!

So I made a promise - that I would do the Camino at 27 years old, no mater where I was in life.

I’ve been organizing myself for this trip for years. But then, the pandemic hit. I thought I wasn’t going to be able to fulfill my promise. But the borders reopened and I took the chance - right on time to spend my 28th birthday on the way! However, 2 days before my trip, I got Covid. Yes, how lucky was I, haha! I wasn’t able to do the camino at 27, but hey, life was right.

I was supposed to walk alone all the way, but Bibia, my good friend who was currently living in Lisbon, asked to join me on the journey. I was very conflicted by this, but what could go wrong?

Completely sleep deprived (we didn’t get to sleep more than 2 hours because she had to pack up) we left late on our first day. And OH BOY were we underprepared. The walk that was supposed to be 19km was actually 27km. My friend ran out of water and injured her leg right in the middle of nowhere as the sun got hotter and hotter. When we finally reached a town, we were more dead than alive - but an uncharted pilgrim bar saved our hides that day. We were finally able to walk the final 3km, only to find out they had no places left in the Albergue. The kind owner helped us find somewhere to sleep in the next nearby town, but It was honestly the hardest day. I can certainly emphasize more with Steban in the beginning of Shut Eye now!

The next days were a lot better - although I thought I wasn’t going to make it with the weigh of my backpack. Over 12kg felt crushing to me, and I ended up injuring my shoulder. My friend couldn’t walk with me many days because of the leg injury she got on the first day. We walked together for about 5 days before she went home, and we met me again after a week or so for 5 more days.

On our way to Azinhaga, temperatures were rising to crazy 39-40ºC during the afternoon, and we found ourselves completely isolated by farmlands and corn plantations. As a mirage from heaven itself, we spotted a sprinkler that suddenly looked like a waterpark - and as we got into the fields to await our so deserved splash of fresh water, it turned off just a couple of meters before it reached us. YES, I was frustrated but couldn’t stop laughing. I can only imagine what that moment looked like from afar! We got under every single sprinkler we came across after that - which is a TERRIBLE idea, mind you, since the water might contain chemicals and pesticides, but shh, it’s what got us through. We knew our albergue had a pool (YES! A rare but most needed feature) so we just kept our minds focused on that during the last, never-ending 7km. But when we finally dipped our toes into the pool, an actual wind storm hit the region out of absolute nowhere and we had to take cover - everything went flying into the air! Chairs, vases, buckets, it was apocalyptical. I only dove into the pool to rescue a fallen chair and right back out! 

On my walk to a town called Cortiça, a dog decided to follow us. At first, I thought she was just being friendly. But as we reached the town’s boarders, she wouldn’t turn back to her home. I looked for anyone who could help, but we were isolated. So I named her Teka and off we went. My friend couldn’t walk after some point, so I made sure she got a ride until our next stop. Teka actually ended up following me for 20km! As unbelievable as that sounds, that pup was a true brave soul! (You can actually see her in the video <3) As soon as I reached the Albergue I called a vet to inspect if she had a microchip - and SHE DID! We were able to get her owner’s phone number and call her to come pick her up. Teka was actually called Lucy and she had ran away from home - although her owner hadn’t noticed her absence until then! So a VERY happy ending for my most unexpected traveling companion, Lucy!

I was lucky to meet some amazing pilgrims on my way, people who became dear friends. One of my dearest traveling companions was actually called Martin, and he was pursuing a carrier as a writer. Can you imagine his reaction the moment I told him I had a story about a dog just like him? He was in his mid 50’s and was also an Austrian mountain rescuer, which is as epic as it sounds. He knew the name of every bird, every plant and flower. He was one of the kindest people I’ve ever had the pleasure to meet, and I feel even happier to have a character with that name now.

So one of the fun things about the Camino is that you gotta follow yellow arrows pointing the way. But it’s very much like treasure hunting, and some of the arrows are very hidden or erased by time. Sometimes you walk for miles without seeing a single arrow, and sometimes (rarely, to be fair) they also point to the wrong way (someone probably trolling pilgrims!). And how many times did I get lost? Take a guess xD 

Nothing goes as planned. I mean it - and I’m quite the meticulous planner. My planning went straight into the garbage can. You literally have to take it step by step. I heard many seasoned pilgrims say - “Fear not. The Camino provides” - it felt dramatic, but indeed it does. I’ve found help in the most unexpected places when I needed it. Kind strangers, but also hostile ones who taught me a lot! a bed to sleep on even when towns seemed completely full, and beautiful days to fill your heart with hope when you needed it the most. It truly is a path of faith.

And you gotta walk. There’s no other way, only the road ahead. It somehow taught me that things don’t matter as much as we are sometimes used to think. The fact that you must get up everyday and keep going certainly put a few things in perspective for me. And this is a lesson learned through my body, the fact that I had to physically leave things, places and people behind me - my mind finally understood.

I’ve had many quiet moments during the days I walked completely alone. Being deep into wilderness trails on my own felt sublime. The thick silence and the echo of birds singing in the distance still sends chills all over me. I haven’t had the chance to experience this before during so many days, so I’m very grateful.

I finally got to Padron on day 27. I knew the next day would be my last day on the Camino, and I didn’t know what to feel. The arrival at the cathedral is said to be the most emotional moment of all, something life-changing. I know it might sound funny, but I was almost afraid I wouldn’t feel anything when I got there.

On the last 6km, the first sight of the Cathedral arose in the horizon. Taller than any other building around it, it felt majestic and it instantly made my knees weak.

The arrival was nothing short of an ecstasy. The feeling of having finished the journey and completed such a task is indescribable. I thought I wasn’t going to feel anything, but I ended up feeling everything at the same time!

I almost lost the bus back because there was no public transportation or taxis running in Santiago on that day - and I Had to run 2km to the station with my backpack and a huge bag of souvenirs! Caught the bus literally 3 minutes before it left - luckily it was delayed. A spicy way to end it!

I ended this walk with a new found strength, full of bruises and sleepless nights, full of new ideas and an inspired heart. Although it was hard at times, I couldn’t wait to wake up and walk the next day. Each day a new trail, a new town. New people, new stories, new challenges and new reasons to want to experience life.

It’s a long trip and I know we hardly have the opportunity, but if you ever have the chance, I do recommend doing the Camino.

This description has very literally turned into a book, so I must stop telling stories now! xD

I’m deeply thankful for the opportunity of fulfilling one of my biggest dreams. I’m so thankful for being alive and seeing the sun rise another day. I have a few more words to say tomorrow, on the last day of 2022, so I just want to end this post with a big thank you. Thank you for reading this and for being with me, all the way.

You people are amazing and I feel so lucky to have you all!

I’m very excited to hear your thoughts and please feel free to ask me anything! xD

I LOVE YOU ALL, AND BUEN CAMINO! <3