Camino de la Plata
INTRO: FEAR AND LOATHING – CAMINO DE LA PLATA (THE SILVER ROUTE)
It’s been two years since my last stroll on the Camino and ten years since my first. Behind me is a lovely list of completed routes: 2x Camino Frances...
SEVILLA
Seville is the capital and largest city of Andalusia, known for its rich historical architecture, scorching summers, and beautiful parks. Over the centuries,...
Day 1: welcome to hell
Seville: the aunt at a village fiesta and me on the verge of a breakdown Seville is like that energetic aunt at the village fiesta: decked out in lace, every...
Day 2: sadisem
Who, pray tell, managed to sleep through five alarms? Who else but me—Tina, allegedly on vacation. Part of the goal was to finally get some sleep. Ha! Getting...
Day 3: pain
Which village did I sleep in last night? No idea. Forgot the name. What I do know is that my accommodation was a full kilometre from the centre, i.e. the...
Day 4: a shit day
Yesterday? Pretty long. A Polish guy walked into town too, which felt like hitting the Camino jackpot. Of course we were thrilled to see each other — there's...
Day 5: happy kiddo
Yesterday was a day of "foot rehab." More precisely: a day of ice compression, self-pity, and wondering whether I should just switch to cycling instead. Luckily...
Day 6: locked accommodation
Here, the sun doesn’t ease up until 10 PM, and its consequences drag on deep into the night – and all the way into morning. Yesterday at ten in the evening,...
Day 7: lubricated
The French woman really proved herself yesterday, even though at first it seemed like our interaction was heading toward a minor drama. When we finally...
Day 8: in heaven
I think last night's accommodation was hotter than the asphalt at noon in Sevilla. Not exaggerating — the bed felt more like a hot plate, and I was flipping...
Day 9 and 10: one goal - Santiago
Finally a proper night's sleep, like a human being! Horizontal mode extended all the way to 10:30. My alarm that morning? A full bladder, knocking with such...
Day 11: the wilderness
When evening comes, it’s playtime – or so Spanish kids on summer break would say. My accommodation was right in the heart of the village, which sounds...
Day 12: adaptations
Back on the road with the Frenchwoman. I had just finished writing my notes when the hostel door opened and in walked Nathalie. The Frenchwoman. 66 years old. A...
Day 13: murder on the camino
The night was – oh miracle! – pleasantly cool. I finally slept like a human being. The alarm woke me up at 5:45, which on the Camino is practically luxury....
Day 14: plans shattered, french style
Yesterday, when we finally reached our destination, we celebrated with some booze – in honour of surviving the day and not ending up in the crime section as...
Day 15: a walk in the park
Last night we slept in the hills, which usually means good sleep since it cools down nicely in the evening. For the last three kilometres before yesterday's...
Day 16: common sense
Yesterday we stayed in a donativo hostel. That means you pay whatever you think the place is worth. The unwritten rule is €10 for a bed, but if they also invite...
Day 17: breakfast by the road
Yesterday Nathalie and I went to the shop together to stock up. The guy working there spoke English, so for a moment I thought about staying – the place even...
SALAMANCA
Salamanca – where the stones speak Latin and the wine listens to your secrets. Walking into Salamanca feels like stepping into a time machine operated by a...
Day 18: expect the unexpected
In Salamanca, expect the unexpected. When mass at the cathedral ended and Natalija shattered my zen to the sound of a guitar outside, we headed off to explore...
Day 19: monotony
Yesterday, when we arrived in the village, we probably woke up all the locals with our “No” and “Yes” as we argued about where the hostel actually was. Each...
Day 20: fountain swimming
When my dear French “mum” arrived at the hostel yesterday, of course she wasn’t happy because there was no fridge. I wasn’t exactly thrilled either, but hey –...
Day 21: long day
With Natalija no longer with me to “sweetly” interrupt my peace, I had the luxury of washing all my clothes at the hostel, cooking myself lunch, and building...
Day 22: stage: camino del tina
What can I say – I like Germans. On the one hand, they know how to have fun, on the other, they’re as tough as mountain goats. Only difference is, they once had...
Day 23: we didn’t start the fire
Yesterday, for the first time on this Camino, I slept in a hostel with a crew: five hikers and one cyclist who’d clearly decided to suffer in his own...
Day 24: camino family
Yesterday while walking I was scrolling through the Buen Camino app, checking options: how many kilometers, where the hostels are, where the shops are and –...
Day 25: a smoky day
When the crew finally got bored of siesta (probably even the ants in the grass were whispering, “Come on, enough lying around”), they eventually agreed to our...
Day 26: the big disappointment
Of course this morning didn’t go as planned – why would it, right? I woke up to a text from the Spaniard saying he and Viktor were catching the 7:50 bus and...
Day 27: pizza hangover
Last night stretched long with birthday celebrations. My first Italian birthday party – pizza and beer in quantities big enough to feed an entire football team....
SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA
All roads lead to Santiago, straight to the mighty Cathedral of Saint James. It’s not hard to find – you just follow the stream of hikers, a sweaty,...
Day 28: santiago is around the corner
Yesterday we squeezed in one more evening with the Portuguese guys, which of course meant dinner dragged on until 10 p.m. With them it always ends the same:...
Day 29: santiago
Yesterday we crashed into bed at 10 pm. I desperately need sleep – I’m on the verge of tears from lacking it. At home, Friday means you’ve got two days to catch...
Day 30: italiano
Yesterday at our last group dinner we made a pact to stay in touch throughout the year, at least until next summer when the Camino bug bites again – or maybe...
Day 31: we are going a bit our own way
I swear, I love kitchens with nothing in them. Really, why do they even bother marking them as “kitchens” on the app if they don’t have a single fork, let alone...
Day 32: finisterra
Finally, it was just the three of us again in a hostel room. None of us snores – jackpot! We were already counting on a peaceful night’s sleep, but on the...
I DID IT MY WAY
And love it all the way!!! 🥰😍❤️❤️❤️
