Part Two of our Camino Diaries is officially live, and watching this one back brought up so many emotions. After crossing the Pyrenees, we were finally starting to settle into Camino life. We would wake up, pack the backpacks, find coffee, walk, eat, walk some more, find our room, wash our clothes, find dinner, sleep, and repeat. It sounds incredibly simple, and I think that’s part of what I loved so much about it.
At home, our lives are anything but simple. Andy and I own businesses, run a restaurant, answer phones, solve problems, make decisions, and constantly think about what needs to happen next. On the Camino, the biggest question most mornings was simply, “Where are we walking today?” Part Two was where I really started to understand how special it was to have that simplicity.
Of course, things didn’t exactly go according to plan. Andy’s ankle started swelling, our bodies were tired, and the temperatures were getting hotter. We had intentionally built a couple of rest days into our schedule, and because we already had accommodations booked ahead, taking a rest day sometimes meant hopping on a bus and meeting the Camino in the next town. Before we left, I wondered if doing that would somehow make our Camino feel less legitimate. Once we were actually there, I stopped caring. We still had hundreds of miles ahead of us, and the goal wasn’t to destroy our bodies trying to prove something. We wanted to experience this journey together. One of the biggest lessons I took from this part of the Camino was that you can change the plan without changing the goal.
This was also the point where the people we had met along the way really started becoming part of our story. We’d walk with someone for hours, separate, stay in completely different places, and somehow run into each other again a day or two later. When you’re walking beside someone for that long, you talk about everything like home, family, work, why you’re walking, hard seasons, big decisions, and plenty of completely ridiculous things too. People who were complete strangers just days before suddenly felt like old friends. Then you’d have to say goodbye, knowing everyone’s Camino was moving at a different pace and you might never see them again.
We also continued walking through some incredible history. In Nájera, we visited the Monastery of Santa María la Real, where kings, queens, and members of medieval royal families are buried. Then we made it to Santo Domingo de la Calzada and visited one of my favorite strange Camino stops: the cathedral with actual live chickens living inside. There’s an entire medieval legend behind it involving a pilgrim, a false accusation, a hanging, a miracle, and roasted chickens supposedly coming back to life. The Camino is filled with so many fun stories and crazy history.
Eventually, we made our way to Belorado, and it was HOT. We were sweaty, exhausted, and very ready to take our backpacks off when we arrived at Hotel A Santiago and discovered they had a POOL. I don’t know if I’ve ever been happier to see a swimming pool. We unpacked, did our laundry, hung everything out to dry, and soaked our feet in the water.
From Belorado, we took one of our planned rest days and headed into Burgos, and this became one of those days I know I’ll remember for the rest of my life. We ate lunch, wandered around the city, explored the absolutely stunning Burgos Cathedral, and somehow stumbled across a Picasso exhibit. We also wandered through a grocery store, which might not sound exciting to everyone, but Andy and I LOVE visiting grocery stores when we travel. As restaurant owners, we can spend an embarrassing amount of time looking at ingredients, produce, meats, cheeses, and all the random things people buy in other countries.
We eventually found our room, which was in an amazing location, dropped everything off, and took a much-needed nap. Later that night, we headed back out for dinner and, naturally, chose pizza. Because apparently owning a pizza restaurant and walking across Spain still doesn’t make us tired of pizza.
There wasn’t one huge, life-changing thing that happened that day in Burgos, and maybe that’s exactly why I remember it so clearly. We had nowhere we needed to be and nothing we needed to accomplish. I remember thinking about how incredibly lucky we were. We had stepped away from our businesses and our normal lives and somehow found ourselves walking across Spain together. It was such a simple day, but I know I’ll think about it for the rest of my life.
That’s what Part Two really became for me. It wasn’t about doing the Camino perfectly. It was about experiencing whatever the Camino gave us: the sore feet, changed plans, friendships, goodbyes, tiny towns, incredible history, random grocery stores, pizza, and all of those completely ordinary moments that somehow become the memories you never forget.
By the end of Part Two, we had made it to Burgos, rested our bodies, and were getting ready for the section I had been nervous about since before we ever left Texas: The Meseta. It was miles and miles of wide-open trail, very little shade, and because our timing was apparently perfect, we were about to walk straight into a record-breaking European heat wave.
We had tested our bodies in the Pyrenees. Now, the Camino was about to test our minds.
Camino Diary Part Two: La Rioja is officially live on YouTube, and I hope you’ll watch and come walk this part of Spain with us. Getting to relive this journey while putting these videos together has been such a gift, and I’m so excited to finally share it all with you.
Next up: Part Three: The Meseta.
Buen Camino. ❤️
-Mal