An Introduction To My Journey To Santiago de Compostela

 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 several years ago, when my grandfather died. My grandparents had always had this fascination for Spain that led them to buying a house in a small pueblo in the Andalucian mountains, some 20 minutes from the coast. My family and I have spent most of our holidays in the house and have grown very fond of the spanish culture and the people there. So much that I even spent an exchange year there living with my grandmother. But this particular walk was something that my grandparents had thought about, before my grandfather got cancer, and they weren't able to do it. The plan was put on ice as my grandmother was unsure as to whether she could do it by herself. A year later, when I was just 10 years old we decided to go on a small day trip in the local mountains where our holiday home is. We soon realized that we had little clue where we were going and what roads to choose, but one positive we took from that trip was my ability to walk even though the goal seemed distant and difficult. My grandmother has later praised me for the attitude I showed that day, trying to stay positive and trying to find solutions to where we should walk. She quickly realized that maybe the perfect walking buddy was her young grandson. We started talking about the possibility of maybe taking some days off school to walk a small part of the camino, at least to get a taste of what such a journey would be like, as neither of us had done anything similar before. 

We set sights on the following spring, and the week before easter, or 'Semana Santa', as our preferred time to do the walk. After a bit of research we found out that the spring probably was the most optimal, as the temperatures were comfortable and it wasn't too packed with pilgrims. We bought all the equipment we thought we needed, maybe overestimating the amount of things you need to bring for a five day walk, but I think we can be excused as it was our first time. We landed in Spain the 24th of march 2012 and decided that we wanted a head start, so we went straight to Almaden de la Plata for the first day. This first trip was really exciting, but also challenging as I was an eleven year old without too much walking experience. Since our backpacks were a bit too heavy we had someone drive them everyday to our destination so that we could focus solely on the walking. Our trip ended in Zafra, but we took a bus to Merida so we could see all the roman structures and feel the history that is deeply rooted in this great city. After the trip we reunited with the rest of the family in Malaga, and used the easter to reflect on the journey. Both me and my grandmother were really happy with what we had done, and could almost not wait until next time. 

The following year we did the part between Merida and Cáceres, this time without any buses, but still had our backpacks driven to the next destination. We felt more experienced and knew more about what lied ahead of us. We completed the trip without any major problems and had, what I still think is, one of the greatest meals I have had in my life, let alone in Spain. One could probably say it felt extra rewarding after the walk from Merida, but nontheless it was a great meal with great hospitality. 

Our last walk together was in 2015 and our target was Salamanca. As we had limited time we decided to start the trip in Carcaboso, as we also didn't want to walk too far each day. The highlight of this trip was definitely the 'Arca de Caparra' which is almost a surreal landmark that really stands out when you approach it. The thought of how they built it and managed to get the heavy stones placed as they did is really mind blowing. Our journey ended in San Pedro de Rozados as we wanted an extra day with the family, and felt that we had achieved a lot on this last trip, especially because we, for the first time, carried our backpacks. 

After this it became harder to have time off school for me, and we decided to wait with any new trips. I had always thought about completing the Via de La Plata, ever since the first time we walked it. It always felt like such an achievement to walk that distance by yourself, with only the nature and countryside as company, and of course the odd, fellow pilgrim here and there, depending on what time of the year you walk. We met people who were planning on completing the route on all of our trips and it seemed so exciting to have the time to just walk though shifting landscape, either alone or with company. When I decided to have a gap year after I finished school, it was always with the thought of embarking on this journey of my own. I felt like I was mature enough to do this alone, even though I knew my grandmother would have wanted to join me. I felt like this was the time for me to learn about myself, test my Spanish skills and see the world alone for once. Through the fall of 2019 I worked up a decent amount of money through a job, and had set myself the target of spending around 25€ each day. Probably not close to as little as people manage, but not too much either, I wanted a proper pilgrim experience. 

I researched online, found different forums and pages that could tell me more about what I could expect nowadays. After all it was five years since I last set my foot on the camino. As the start of the trip neared, I was both excited, but also nervous. How would I manage to take care of myself, how far could I walk, would my body stand up to the physical aspect of the trip. There were some worries, but I soon realized most of them were without reason. 

My actual journey starts tomorrow, as I will write about my first day. 

Hope you have enjoyed my introduction, and are looking forward to the continuation. 

On our last trip, just after Banos de Montemayor

The Great Arca de Caparra