The Norwegian Pilgrim

Day two on the camino started with the included breakfast at the albergue. I had gotten a decent nights sleep as I was tired from the traveling and first day of walking. Still feeling homesick and not settled in yet I got some tostadas with jam and a cup of coffee. My polish friend left off before me, but we had the same destination that day, so I figured we would meet sooner or later anyways.  The start of this stage was mostly along the main road, as it followed it out of town. After a couple of kilometers you take off the main road and continue on a dirt road. At that time the german cyclist had caught up to me, and we said goodbye and 'buen camino', as he would be going a lot further than me. Just after starting on the dirt roads I started to feel my blisters again and had to stop on the side of the road. Suddenly a rabbit jumped out in front of me and ran into the woods. It was my first proper wild animal-sighting of the trip, and even though it wasn't much, it gave a

 My first day in Spain started with a quick trip to the bakery, to get some fresh bread and a coffee. Still not brimming with confidence over my Spanish skills, but that was fine for now, I knew that after a couple of days of talking I would be back to my best. After finishing my breakfast I had a last thought about actually going through with the trip, and quickly realized that there was no way back, and I couldn't be more happy. My first stop was the cathedral, which was literally at the doorstep of my hotel, one of the reasons why I had chosen this specific one. I walked inside and spent some time admiring the work and detail put into this massive monument. A security guard gave me my first stamp of the trip, and I was off.  Whats not to like about Sevilla? Following the arrows out of the city centre was a bit easier than I had first feared, and in addition to the arrows I also had a map that led me in the right direction. The smell of freshly baked goods and the Spanish air in

On January the 14th the day had finally come. I had packed all my stuff into my backpack and was ready to set sights on Sevilla. My mother drove me to the airport and waved a final goodbye as I went through the security at the airport. It had been a difficult goodbye, more so for my mother than for me, at least at that time. I had planned this trip for a while and knew that it will always be hard to say goodbye to your loved ones even though you will see them soon enough. My own anxiety didn't kick in before my layover in Madrid. I suddenly realized how far away I was from everyone I knew and started to contemplate if this actually was what I wanted. My habit of shying away from situations I didn't like became more apparent, and this was probably the closest I came to not completing the trip. The year before I had dropped out of the Norwegian military after only a couple of days there, and I knew that I was able to find an excuse to not go through with my plans. Luckily I hoppe

 When I write this almost a year has gone by since I started my journey towards Santiago de Compostela, following the Silver route, or in spanish "Via de La Plata". I have had a lot of time to think about my journey because of the situation we are all in with the ongoing pandemic. The walk seems so distant now because at that time, nobody thought the virus would change the world as drastically as it did. I almost find it hard to imagine how I could walk across Spain, meet so many interesting and welcoming people and share 'Albergues' with other fellow pilgrims, when I am sitting here in cold Norway.  My goal with this blog is to try and recreate as best as possible my journey across Spain and write one post a day to make it as similar to my actual travel as possible. If you have either walked one route of the camino yourself, plan on walking it or if you are just curious as to what it is like I welcome you to take part in this trip.  My journey actually started severa