Notes from the Camino
Short, honest posts about walking to Santiago — gear, money, routes and the things nobody warns you about.
Arkadiy Broun
The hospitaleros: who runs the albergues
The person who handed you a cold glass of water at the door, pointed at your wet boots, and silently found you a dry spot by the heater — that was a hospitalero. You probably still think about them.
Arkadiy Broun
Your boots will make or break your Camino
Most people buy their boots too late. They pick them up a few weeks before departure, wear them around the house a couple of times, and show up in St. Jean convinced they're ready. They are not.
Arkadiy Broun
The Vía de la Plata: 1,000 km from Seville
There's a Camino that starts in Seville and walks 1,000km through near-empty Spain. Almost nobody does it.
Arkadiy Broun
The Camino makes you question the life you left
Not dramatically. Not in some sudden revelation on a hilltop. It happens gradually, somewhere between day five and day ten, when the rhythm of walking has replaced the rhythm of your normal life and you realise you don't miss it the way you expected to.
Arkadiy Broun
Rain on the Camino is part of the deal
Rain on the Camino isn't bad luck. It's part of the deal.
Arkadiy Broun
The Camino cares about your pace, not your fitness
The Camino doesn't care about your fitness level. It cares about your pace.
Arkadiy Broun
Ponte Móvel de Leça: a Portuguese Coastal notice
The Ponte Móvel de Leça, which connects Matosinhos and Leça da Palmeira across the Leça River, is currently closed for reconstruction and is expected to remain closed for approximately three months.
Arkadiy Broun
The new journey begins with Camino.Today
The new journey begins with #caminotoday
Arkadiy Broun
A little stamp, a whole day of walking
A little stamp. A whole day of walking. Earned.
Arkadiy Broun
A stone at the Cruz de Ferro
A stone. A cross. Something left behind forever.
Arkadiy Broun
The evening before: Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port
Most pilgrims arrive in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port stressed, buy too much food, sleep badly, and leave at 5am before they've really arrived. Don't do that.
Arkadiy Broun
Walking alone is not the same as being lonely
The most common fear before walking the Camino alone: what if I get lonely?
