Hola de españa, todos! I'm currently sitting in a small cafe next to our albergue (shelter) in the small town of Grañón, about 160 miles into my 500-mile trek across El Camino in Spain. The last month has been a complete whirlwind. I never thought hiking with a pack for 15-20 miles per day would seem like time to slow down, but that's what it has become! A few quick updates since my last post…
The end of my time in Colorado was great, even though it was really difficult to leave. I got to show my parents around the Fort Collins/Denver area and see the Rockies from a hot air balloon with them when they visited, finished my first marathon and met up with some great friends in San Diego, spent a few great days in Las Vegas experiencing the behind-the-scenes action of an audition, and survived jumping out of a plane from 14,000 feet with a guy named JK strapped to my back and my friend Vanessa a few hundred feet below me (like a true gentleman, I let her jump first). I got a whole 30 hours at home to get ready for my trip to Spain and then got on my 6 AM flight from Omaha to Dallas, TX, completely exhausted.
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| Hot-air ballooning with my parents and Adyson. No better way to see the Rockies! |
In Dallas, I met up with my friend (and fantastic travel buddy) for the Camino, Jessica. We spent the day-long layover exploring her hometown and saw everything from the grassy knoll where JFK was shot to the Dallas Museum of Art. It was great! I spent the nine-hour flight across the Atlantic catching up on some movies and trying to sleep as best I could. The plan was initially to sneak into first class for some more comfortable seats but the flight was full…so that will have to wait until the flight back home. We arrived in Madrid with some bad jet lag but ready to fight it in order to take advantage of our one day in the city. Our afternoon trek across the city (which appropriately started with a Starbucks run) ended up being great. We saw Madrid's major highlights including parks, cathedrals and palaces, and even accidentally got our palms read by some gypsies. Don't worry, mom, they told us our predictions weren't valid since we didn't have enough money to pay them.
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| First day in Spain -- attaching the El Camino pilgrim shell to my backpack to get ready for the journey. Tradition says that the shell collects the energy of 'the way.' |
After barely making our train to the Camino's starting point the next morning (who knew you needed to have a special document to buy the cheap student tickets in Europe?!), we arrived in St. Jean Pied-de-Port, France, ready to start the Camino the next day. The owner of our hostel, Eric, gave us some great tips for the Camino while also telling us about the three main gifts each pilgrim receives during the 500-mile-long trek: humility, love for self, and love for others. As I fell asleep that night in our smelly albergue room, I was full of anticipation for what the coming days would bring.
Jessica and I set out the next morning after breakfast, ready for the challenges our 3000-foot climb over the Pyranies mountains would bring. I quickly realized that while it was very liberating to be carrying my life on my back, it was also exceptionally painful. Adrenaline pushed us through that first day, though, and we made it to Roncesvalles with energy to spare.
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| Done with our first hike over the Pyrenees! Jessica and I, as well as our new friend, Tim. |
We quickly made some new friends along the way that we have been traveling with ever since, and the sense of community is absolutely incredible. I never would have imagined how quickly people could learn nearly every facet of another person's life…but walking for 7-10 hours per day with nothing to do but talk and think will definitely get relationships forming quickly.
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| Our grupo! Some amazing people. |
In one short week, the Camino has taught me much more than I could have imagined. I have made a lot of memories already, and I have also learned a lot about myself and my humanity. Some quick notes about my journey so far:
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| We found a WINE FOUNTAIN on the way. Whoa. |
-Walking with a 20-lb pack for 15-20 miles each day makes you incredibly sore. It was brilliant to have the Camino run through Spain, where good wine only costs around 2.50 euros per bottle. This is the best Camino medicine there is.
-Never miss an opportunity to talk with someone new. A great part of El Camino is that people come from all over the world; it is its own unique melting pot.
-Walking down hills isn't as easy as you would think, for several reasons. First, it is hard on your feet and knees. Second, it means there is most likely another hill close by that you will need to walk up. We don't like hills.
-Nothing will make you more humble than having blisters and aching muscles but still needing to wake up early and start walking anyway. And nothing will make you more patient than seeing a city one mile away and knowing that while it would only take you a moment to reach in a car, that it will take 20-30 minutes to reach on foot.
It has been a great journey so far, and I am learning more about myself, my humanity, and other people than I was expecting. And in the end, I guess that is what the Camino is all about--- surprises. Here's to some time full of openness and humility, while always experiencing all life has to give us.
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| The site where St. Ignatius was shot in Pamplona, Spain. Cool detour for the day! |
Hasta pronto, buen camino.
Paz,
Nico
