07/24/2026
⭐️ Santiago de Compostela ⭐️
I was more than pleased with the home base of our Galicia trip being here. Greenery, parks, and a town that feels energetic 💫
I can see why hundreds of thousands of people walk the Camino de Santiago. A pilgrimage, which takes several weeks of walking to end up here, depending on the route you take.
Seeing the hikers in the square in front of the cathedral as they completed their walk was powerful. Relief, joy, gratitude, and community. People they had met along the way or hiking companions tore off their shoes and sang in the middle of everyone. Pure bliss 🌞
It kind of reminded me of the hiking route I knew from my college days. The Appalachian Trail. A hike through the Appalachian mountains. I’ve only heard stories from both to compare the two, but the point is that people end differently than they began…
That’s to say that the person who begins the journey is not the one who finishes it. A pilgrimage that appears by foot but really they work their way through the mind and the heart it appears.
I’m not sure if this would be my form of pilgrimage, but it’s definitely inspiring. Plus the pilgrimage is marked and represented with a seashell (totally freaking cute) and the whole town has art, jewelry, souvenirs galore to help people remember the journey they completed.
Fascinanted is an understatement.
Anyone out there hiked either one? Or both? Id love opinions.
Anywho