Leaving Home Alone...My Trek on the Camino de Santiago

I kept trying on my travel clothes
before I left for Spain. I felt
a little bit too much like
Harrison Ford in Raiders
of the Lost Ark...but hoped
I would fit in on the Camino.

I had been in training for this big walk for so long that when the day came to actually leave...well, it didn't feel real.  I wasn't nervous, but had trouble convincing myself that this journey was leaving the planning stage and becoming a reality.I was actually going to fly to Spain and spend a month and a half in Europe. Alone. On foot.

Everything I was taking was in my backpack. Without water, my pack weighed in at just under 20 lbs.  It felt comfortable on my back...I was actually already in love with it.  I decided that my pack was a girl and I named her "Toda" which means "whole" or "all" in Spanish.  I thought that was appropriate since my whole world would revolve around the items she carried while we were in Spain together.

There was only one other thing that I had to carry, my set of trekking poles.  I had heard online that some airlines didn't let you carry the hiking poles as carry on items because they have pointy tips.  I decided to check them just to be sure.  I tried to think of a way to keep them safe and together while they got tossed around with the rest of the luggage that was going to be stowed under the plane.  I finally decided to put them in mailing tubes and tape up the ends.

I used bubble tape to keep them from sliding around and wrote my name and address in big letters on the tube.  It felt a little weird to carry the big tube but it wasn't as bad as when I've had to lug a carry on and a heavy tote onto the plane with me on other trips.

It turned out that when I got to the airport, I had to walk the tube over to a special window where they receive the sports equipment and other items that are large or awkwardly shaped.

I remember that I worried a bit about this.  Would I see my trekking poles at the other end of this trip.  We had a stop in England and I hoped my poles transferred properly.  These hiking sticks were so important to me.  I had been using them often and the cork handles were starting to be shaped to fit my grip.  Plus, they were a Christmas gift from a few years back.  I really didn't want to lose them.  These are the Black Diamond trekking poles that I showed in my Cruelty Free Packing blog.  They work really well...the two places on the poles that allow you to adjust the length of the stick remain snugly in place, but are also easy to let out when you need to change the length.  I am really happy with this gear.  They are light and strong, I expect to have them for a really long time...if they don't get lost!

The flight was easy but long.  I was flying to Madrid which took hours and hours...and then there was a transfer in England which involved a few hours wait at the London airport.

I believe they put a film on the window to keep
the sun from being to bright in case people
want to sleep. It makes the world blue and so
beautiful!

I was surprised when I got to the London Airport to find that the outlets there are different than the ones I needed for Spain.  My phone battery was dying so I ended up having to buy the adapter there in the airport...at an airport price.  I will remember to bring that with me if I ever have to stop in London again!

There wasn't much for me to eat as a vegan at the Jamie Oliver's Diner in London...but fortunately I found some fruit and coffee at a kiosk.



We boarded our plane a few hours later and headed for Madrid.  I had booked a bed at a hostel in Madrid, the Hostel Viky.  I found the hostel on the HostelWorld app where they said that the hostel was close to the airport and that someone would come and pick me up.  I wondered how smoothly this would go as I was scheduled to arrive in Madrid 5 minutes before midnight. I really didn't want to be stuck in the city walking around at that time of night.



When we landed I was relieved that it was so easy to get my poles back.  I just had to ask someone where I should pick them up and I was directed to a window where no one else was in line.  I called the hostel to let them know I had arrived.

The airport in Madrid is similar to the one in Los Angeles.  It has a few floors...which two of can receive traffic. Apparently I waited on the wrong floor and had a little trouble getting picked up by the hostel shuttle.  Finally though, Toda, my poles and I were together and being driven to the Hostel Viky.  I still wasn't nervous but I didn't know if that was due to being in some kind of traveler's shock or not.

The room at the hostel was small but clean.  The staff was kind and I felt safe.  It felt great to be out of the airport and to lay down to get some sleep.  I contacted my family, plugged in my phone, washed my socks while I showered in the tiny stall, and then went to bed.  I had to find the train station the next day and catch the rail to Pamplona.  I would work my way north to France before actually starting the pilgrimage.

After an early breakfast I headed out to find the bus that could take me to the Renfe station, the large train station that works throughout Spain.  I found it and bought my ticket...which took a long time.  If you don't buy your tickets online (which I will do next time) you have to work your way through a ton of people to a box where you get a number.  You need this number to actually be in line.  I didn't see it at first (like almost everyone who came in...we all kept advising the newest people to the line) and lost some time.  Even after I got my number the wait was long enough that I thought I could miss the train I had planned to get on.  Fortunately, I did get it on time.

I carried these painted stars
from Stars of Hope in my pack.
Every time I felt stressed, I hung up
a star to encourage others that were
probably feeling the same way I was.
I was hoping to spread some love
along the Camino. This was the first
star I hung up, in the ladies room at
the train station. It made me feel better!

Everyone waiting for the train seemed super tired from traveling.

Once we got on the train and started rolling I had a chance to see Spain's landscape in the daytime.  I was surprised to see how much it looked like home in southern California.  This is what it means to share a Mediterranean climate!

While we traveled on the bus I started to breathe easier.  So far I had made all the connections that I had planned out.  There were just a few more that I had to make...and making them was critical to arriving at different cities with different reservations.

When I stepped off of the train in Pamplona I knew I had to find another hostel to stay in for the night.  I got onto HostelWorld and booked one three miles from the train station.  I figured, heck, I had better get used to walking...and since I couldn't find a place to grab a cab anyway, I started walking.  I used my phone to navigate my way.  I put in the address of the hostel and started following directions.  This worked great for approximately 1/4 of a mile.  When I got to the major street that I was supposed to turn on, I found that it was a round about.  Google maps was so confusing at this point.  It couldn't recognize when I had stepped off the roundabout or when I had gotten back on it.  If I made a right onto the main street it looked as if I was making a wrong move. I couldn't figure out which way to go and it was starting to get let in the afternoon.  I needed to get walking but I felt like I was already lost before I had even gotten a good start!

The train station in Pamplona, Spain

  

I might have been getting lost, but the way was gorgeous!

This is the hostel I was trying to get to.  It was pricier than others but the closest to the train station.  

 I ended up having to sit at a bus stop and waiting for a bus to come.  I figured that a bus driver would be able to tell me where to go.  When a bus did come I showed him the screen shot of the hostel I was looking for and he knew the address.  It turns out that I was able to get on that bus for 1 Euro and it took me right to the hostel. Another huge sigh of relief.  I was another step closer to the Camino.

Finally at the hostel bed4U

  

I was able to get some dinner at the hostel.  I ordered a veggie sandwich with fries.  When the sandwich arrived I found that a veggie sandwich in Spain comes with a hardboiled egg inside! I took the egg out and the sandwich was pretty good. I enjoyed dinner and was ready to get cleaned up and go to bed. (Note to self: always tell the server I'm vegan and what that means.)

The room key had to be inserted
into a panel by the door in order
for the lights to work.  It is part
of an energy saving campaign.

The hostel rooms were really clean.
I loved the words on the wall. It basically
said that the bathroom was a great place
for thinking!

I brought a double charger so that I could either
charge two things myself...or share my charger
with other pilgrims if there weren't enough outlets
where we were staying.

I had a great night of sleep in Pamplona.  It was a good thing because I had to catch a bus to France in the morning.  It wouldn't be too long until all these typed of transportation were  no longer available.  In the next blog I will show how I finally got to start walking!!

If you're planning a trip to the Camino and I've left out some details that you need for this part of the trip, leave a question in the comments and I will try to help out!

Peace!
Patti