The Road to Santiago

Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
Having arrived back in Spain after my two week trip to Romania, I made my way down south to Malaga once more to see my old roommate Ahmed from my year abroad in Spain. After a couple days on the beach and hanging out with him, I made my way up to Leon to begin a 300 km walk to Santiago de Compostela.
Starting on April 6th, I left Leon on foot and headed west towards Santiago. Rain was pouring down as I walked along empty streets and alongside the busy highway. After walking for 8 hours, I found shelter in the Albergue de Hospital del Orbigo, a small hostel that is subsidized by the local town parish. That night, I met 5 other peregrinos who I would subsequently see along the route, each with their own stories and reason for making the long pilgrimage to Santiago.


Each day along the trail held something new, whether it be the people I met, the lay of the land or the quality of the trail. Walking through the north of Spain, I was struck by the beauty of bucolic landscape and the fact that many people still live in small towns which are centered around farming.
I´ve met wonderful people along the way, having started out on the Camino by myself, today, in Santiago, the faces of other pilgrims are those of friends.


The last 11 days on the Camino leave me energized to come back to the states. When I get back, I´ll have to decide where I would like to live for the next couple years, and what I might like to do as a profession in the years to come. Exciting times for sure.