A pilgrim's letter home
We are literally eating and drinking our way across northwestern Spain. Typical day starts at 8:45am when our little blue Mercedes minibus leaves the hotel. When I say hotel I use the term loosely. So far we have stayed overnight in a former monastery, a working vineyard and two five-star hotels. The drive to the starting point is typically 20-30 minutes and then we walk for about four hours, anywhere from six to 10 miles per day. Terrain and elevation and degree of difficulty change from day to day as does the scenery. One day is rolling hills filled with wild flowers. One day is through small towns, some paved roads, some dirt and some rocky. Today we passed roosters, cows, and sheep and fields of red red poppies and lavender, gardens filled with roses and even calla lilies. Some days have serious inclines (yay!) and some serious declines.
Juan Carlos has chosen his favorite restaurants in each town and lunch is typically four courses plus beer and wine. Late afternoons feature a somewhat quiet activity like a walking tour of the town with a guide (I’ve been impressed!), a tour of the winery, a visit with a local artist. Then before you know it, it’s happy hour followed by dinner. Travel the Camino with Authentic Journeys. Immerse yourself in the culture of Spain.
So, to sum it up, the Camino is whatever you want it to be. Juan Carlos and Laurie are fantastic. He seems to know everyone everywhere and when he doesn’t, within minutes he’s charmed complete strangers.
Life is good…