I fell in love with the stone entries we encountered while walking the Camino de Santiago de Compostela in Northwest Spain. Here are a few of them.
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While living in Hong Kong, I loved hiking because at the end of the walk, there was almost always a beach with a wonderful seafood restaurant. I distinctly remember thinking, “Now this is my kind of hiking!” I recalled these experiences recently while walking the Camino de Santiago de Compostela, which could also be called, “The Trail of Tapas.”
Known in English as The Way of St. James, the Camino de Santiago de Compostela is a network of 
pilgrim routes that were especially popular during the middle ages. Originating throughout Europe, all walking trails converge in the city of Santiago de Compostela, the alleged burial place of St. James the apostle. Earlier this month, two friends and I decided to walk the last two days of the most popular route, the “Camino Frances.”
We began our journey in the small town of Arzua. Our first priority, before beginning our walk, was to find something to eat. We quickly learned that “desayuno,” the rough equivalent of “breakfast” in Spanish, is comprised of coffee and a piece of toast or a sweet roll. Hardly enough to sustain a day of walking. We ventured into several cafes in search of “desayuno con huevos” (breakfast including eggs), and were nearly abandoning hope when we ventured into Praza, where the woman behind the bar told us she could serve us eggs “in the French style.”
What appeared before us 15 minutes later was a huge scrambled egg sandwich made on freshly baked bread and dripping with the creamy, local, sheep’s milk cheese. Our first meal on the Camino turned out to be a little piece of heaven on a plate. Together with aromatic and delicious coffee (for my friends) and hot chocolate (for me), we were ready to begin our walk.
We were pleasantly surprised when we came upon another inviting cafe bar just a few kilometers later. We quickly adapted to a rhythm of walking and stopping in these simple eateries to warm ourselves and enjoy a snack. Indeed, we often began discussing our next break long before one was needed.
Every so often, we would worry that perhaps there would be no more cafes, but then, as if by magic, one would appear as we
rounded a corner or descended a hill. Over the two-day period, along with many cups of tea, coffee and hot chocolate, we enjoyed tortillas (similar to American omelets), octopus, mushrooms sautéed with garlic, local cheeses on homemade bread, fresh sardines, chorizo (Spanish sausage), local cured hams, freshly baked empanadas, and olives. Yes, walking was a joy when interspersed with Spanish tapas.
Looking back, I realize just how important a role good food played on this trip. I was able to happily endure driving rain, soaked feet, and chilly weather – as long as I was able to indulge in tasty snacks along the way.
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Exploring the Camino de Compostela
Enjoy other food adventures at Wanderfood Wednesday.
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Photos: 1) Sign post for the Camino; 2) Kim and Molly on the Camino; 3) A village church; 4) crosses; 5) fresh spring water; 6) wisteria and the Camino; yellow arrow to identify Camino path; 7) Our arrival at the Cathedral de Santiago. The day after, we had our photo retaken in the sun, but this is the real story. We arrived after walking for seven hours in the driving rain!
When my friend, Molly, invited me to walk the Camino de Compostela de Santiago with her, I have to admit I didn’t even know what it was. Fortunately, many around me did, and I was soon enlightened – and packing my bags. I hadn’t seen Molly in over 10 years – and Kim, who would also join us, in closer to twenty. Miraculously, we converged in Madrid a couple of weeks ago, excited to walk a small piece of this historic trail.
The Camino de Santiago de Compostela, known in English as The Way of St. James, is a network of
walking paths that converge in the city of Santiago, located in Northwest Spain. For more than a thousand years, pilgrims have arrived here from trails originating in various places around Europe, believing that St. James, the apostle, was buried on this site (though this has never been proven).
The height of the pilgrimage was in the middle ages, when thousands of people each day arrived in Santiago to obtain blessings and earn indulgences from the Catholic Church. Following the reformation, the number of pilgrims declined significantly.
The designation of Santiago de Compostela as a World Heritage Site in 1985 renewed interest in the Camino as well as the Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque architecture found in Santiago’s Old Town. People are once again eager to see what UNESCO describes as “one of the world’s most beautiful urban areas.”
Today people from all walks of life – religious or not – enjoy walking the Camino. The most popular
route is called the “Camino Frances,” which originates in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, France and travels 780 kilometers (about 485 miles) to its final destination in Santiago. With limited time, we decided to walk the final 42 kilometers of this trail over two days. I looked forward to exploring this historic path and reacquainting with two old friends.
The final two days of the route are not particularly rigorous, though the path – which at different points is dirt, gravel, and pavement – climbs and descends the many hills of northern Spain. I was pleasantly surprised to find that very little of our walk was on or near roads. Instead, we wove our way through farmland, forest, and shrubbery. Every few kilometers, a pub would magically appear, offering shelter from the rain and traditional Spanish tapas, coffee and tea (some fellow travelers preferred sampling the full array of alcoholic beverages also available).
Traveling by foot provides a unique perspective to the world. For example, as we followed (or in some
cases searched for) the Camino’s yellow arrows, I was much more keenly aware of the ever-changing landscape than I would have been from traditional modes of transport. The trail also treated us to lovely vignettes of Spanish life as we walked through people’s backyards, passed their barns and admired their vegetable gardens. Though our two days were filled with cold, windy, wet weather (and in my case, completely inadequate footwear), I finished this journey wanting more.
Will I return? Absolutely. I would very much like to complete the entire French Way, which – at 20 kilometers a day – takes about five weeks. Did the walk change the way I think about travelling? Very much so. I am intrigued by the idea of walking as a way to see the world and plan to explore other such historic trails on future adventures.
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