Part Three of our Camino Diaries is officially LIVE on YouTube! And y’all, I’ve been so excited to share this part of our journey because, believe it or not, the Meseta ended up being one of my absolute favorite sections of our 500-mile walk across Spain.
If you’ve been following along, you know that Andy and I spent part of our summer walking the Camino Francés, a nearly 500-mile pilgrimage across northern Spain that begins in the French Pyrenees and ends in Santiago de Compostela. After crossing the mountains and making our way through the beautiful vineyards of La Rioja, we entered a completely different landscape: the Meseta.
Before we started our Camino, I had read so many different opinions about this section. Some pilgrims absolutely love it, while others describe it as the most boring and mentally challenging part of the entire journey. There are even people who choose to skip it altogether.
Miles and miles of open farmland, very little shade, tiny villages, and long stretches where you can see the trail disappearing into the horizon. And I LOVED it.
Maybe it’s because we live in the West Texas desert, but there’s something about wide-open spaces that speaks to my soul. The Meseta reminded me so much of home. There was a certain beauty in the simplicity of it all.
By this point in our Camino, we were starting to find our rhythm. We had learned to wake up incredibly early to beat the summer heat, pack our bags without thinking twice, and appreciate the little things that made each day special.
But don’t let me make it sound like everything was perfect. The Meseta definitely tested us.
We experienced some incredibly hot days, long stretches of walking, exhaustion, and a few unexpected challenges along the way. At one point, both Andy and I ended up feeling pretty terrible, which forced us to slow down and adjust our plans.
And that’s something the Camino teaches you pretty quickly. You can plan every mile, every stop, and every overnight stay, but sometimes the Camino has other plans.
One of my favorite memories from this section was reaching the halfway point of our journey. There was something surreal about realizing just how far we had already walked. We had crossed mountains, explored beautiful Spanish towns, met people from all over the world, and experienced more in a few weeks than I could have ever imagined. And, we still had hundreds of miles ahead of us!
Eventually, our journey brought us to León, a city that absolutely took my breath away. The cathedral alone was worth the visit. The stained glass, architecture, and history were incredible. We spent time exploring the city, finding great food, wandering through the streets, and enjoying a little break from the daily routine of walking.
Of course, because we’re restaurant owners, we also found ourselves wandering through grocery stores. I know that probably sounds funny, but Andy and I love seeing how people shop, what foods are available, and how different cultures approach everyday life. It’s one of our favorite things to do when we travel.
Looking back, I think what made the Meseta so special was how much it forced me to slow down mentally.
In our everyday lives, we’re constantly moving. Between running businesses, working, creating content, answering emails, and keeping up with everything else, there’s always something demanding our attention. But out there? There wasn’t much to do except walk.
I found myself appreciating the silence in a way I hadn’t in a long time. There was no pressure to be productive, no endless to-do list, and no need to rush through the day. Our only real responsibility was to keep moving forward, one step at a time.
Sometimes I think we get so caught up in chasing the next big thing that we forget how beautiful the ordinary moments can be. The Meseta reminded me of that. It reminded me that not every part of the journey has to be exciting to be meaningful. Sometimes the stretches that seem the least remarkable end up teaching us the most.
Watch Part Three: The Meseta
I’m so excited to finally share this chapter of our Camino adventure with you! In this episode, you’ll see the beautiful simplicity of the Meseta, the little villages we passed through, the challenges we faced, our halfway celebration, and our time exploring León.
If you haven’t watched the first two episodes, I definitely recommend starting there! Part One takes you through our journey across the Pyrenees, and Part Two follows us through the beautiful La Rioja region.
Next up is Part Four: Galicia, where we make our final push toward Santiago de Compostela and the finish line of this incredible 500-mile adventure.
I still can’t believe we did this. And even months later, I’m finding myself thinking about our time on the Camino almost every single day.
Thank you for following along, watching our videos, and supporting these adventures. Sharing this journey has been such a special experience, and I hope it encourages you to get outside, explore somewhere new, or finally chase that big dream you’ve been thinking about.
Because if there’s one thing this journey reminded me, it’s that you don’t have to have everything figured out to start. You just have to be willing to take that first step.
Here’s to big adventures, unexpected lessons, and living a life full of stories worth telling.
Buen Camino!