I Decided to Walk from Portugal to Spain
Walking 270 km in two weeks did no go as planned
I’m flying to Porto. Earlier this year, I decided to take part in the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. Although it is primarily a Christian pilgrimage, it has changed over the years. The route now attracts influencers, hiking enthusiasts, so-called burnt-out professionals, retirees, and others. Based on my experiences, I’ve encountered more non-believers than believers, but more on that later. Or maybe they were just embarrassed to admit their faith, since it’s not exactly “in fashion” these days.
So, I’m starting with day zero. I’m finally sitting on the plane after an hour’s delay, and as we’re about 30 minutes from landing, I realize we’re flying over my route. It’s called the Camino Portugués, mostly starting from Porto, but you can also start from Lisbon. The terrain I see is a bit unsettling — hills, small mountains, essentially something like the Low Tatras or the Slovak Kras. I’m not sure why I thought it would be a bit flatter.
My preparation for the Camino, which is 310 km long, was booking accommodation in advance, as I’m going in August, the most popular month. I also tried to walk a lot every day, sometimes up to 35,000 steps. I cycled through the hills of Calabria, getting used to the high temperatures. Yet, the…
