My sister and I spent 14 days walking ~500km of the Camino de Santiago from Burgos to Santiago. Id highly. recommend it to anybody. We got to meet an incredible diversity of people (pictured above are Macy and Trey, two siblings we ran into and spent about 8 days walking with) from all over the world and all walks of life, from roller skaters from Germany, to a man who skateboarded with his dog all the way from from France.
I hope to one day complete the leg of the camino I'm missing. My grandparents live next to the French border, so I've walked several days from the Somport, but I would love to walk from Puente la Reina to Burgos.
Highlights -The people! Everyone is incredibly friendly and open! -Seeing the Spanish countryside was incredible! -Walking multiple marathons -Trey jumped off a highway bridge into the river below (check out his instagram, @trey.travels!) -On day 1 we walked trough a field resplendent w poppies at 6am (they're my favorite flower now!) -We started out following a guy who left tiny sharpie tags on rocks, then ran into it, which was fun -I got to practice loads of French! -Spontaneously deciding which town to stay in >>>
Planning on walking the camino? Here's what you need to know:
Less is more! If you can imagine living without it, you really don't need it. My bag was only ~7lbs and it was honestly too heavy
However: bring a battery pack! you'll want to take pictures, listen to podcasts or music when you're alone... And there aren't always outlets, so thats a good pick! Also: bring something nice to wear. It needs to be light, but after you've spent all day walking having something as simple as a sundress will really help.
Talk to people!
You don't need to plan where you're staying until the end, but if you do plan, you can stay in some very nice places for 5-10 euros a night