Tag: hiking
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Reaching Santiago, Letting Go in La Coruña
Hiking Day 13, Pedrouzo to Santiago de Compostela: 13 miles I made a pact with my friends to leave Pedrouzo early before the crowd. We set off at 6:30 AM and it was slightly dark and foggy. The plan was to walk together, but the fast pace of my friends made my body ache quickly.…
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A Week of Galician Motivation
Ribadeo to Lourenza: 18 miles, 3K elevation gain… I thought I left the mountains behind! I started this very difficult day with no coffee. I sought my morning motivation from the contrasting smells: eucalyptus and cow manure. I had learned from The Camino Podcast that eucalyptus is invasive to Galicia. They are pretty and emit…
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Making My Own Camino
Leaving behind the Basque region in a rideshare, I gazed at what landscapes of Cantabria and Asturias I could see from the highway. While I know it was not a fraction of the beauty I could encounter if walking, it was still impressive and made me wish I was seeing it all by foot. Like…
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The Spanish Civil War and the Camino
Day 4, Mutriku to Erbera: ~10 miles, 1,745 ft gain The early part of the camino accentuated part of why I was on such a path. The logistics and unknowns with this kind of travel, but the sharp contrast with the purpose and simplicity of a pilgrimage, forced me to examine my anxiety over a…
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Follow the Red and White to Dragonstone
Day 3, Zumaia to Mutriku: ~12 miles, 2,500 ft gain I’m sure you can still picture the fantastical scenes in Game of Thrones. Much of the series was set in northern Spain, including the 60 million-year-old rock formation called the Flysch in Zumaia. This was the backdrop for the Targaryen’s homeland, Dragonstone and is a…
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Will Walk For Coffee
Day 2, San Sebastián to Zarautz: ~ 13.5 miles and 2,000 ft gain Who knew I would be in Spain and unable to have my first day’s coffee until 11 AM. I anticipated that finding early morning coffee would be a challenge and I learned quickly how late cafes usually open (usually 8 to 10…
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The Pilgrim Planner
Decision-making and logistical planning can be vexing on an enneagram 9. Leading up to my camino – later contrasted by the simplicity of the trail – this 9 was overstimulated! The first and biggest decision was which Camino to do. Just Google “map Camino routes”… there are many. Take a peek at my first post…
Maria Labbato, PhD 