My Camino: Baiona to Santiago de Compostela

For years, my friend, Giulia and I had planned to walk the Camino de Santiago in Spain. This journey was going to be the panacea for the corporate bullshit we’d endured during our long careers, and serve as a retirement gift to ourselves. Maybe it would grind down some of the hard corporate edges I’d accumulated and create more space for calm and serenity. I might even have felt a bit spiritual merely thinking of walking along a famous pilgrimage route in Spain to the Cathedral where the apostle St. James’ remains are believed to be buried. But before anyone gets the wrong idea, I don’t consider myself religious, not by a long shot.

Right off the gate Giulia and I ruled out walking the full Camino and instead focused on planning to walk for a week. Once we’d comfortably parked our corporate careers, we began to explore various options in late 2019. Our mutual friend Karen decided she didn’t want to miss out on this experience, and so, together, the trio “Zen Seekers” researched the routes for walking to Santiago de Compostela. Giulia discovered Santiago Ways, a tour company that arranged for us to walk along the stunning coast of the Camino Portugues. If you want a certificate of completion then you have to walk at least 100 km. We picked our starting point at Baiona, a picturesque town in Spain north of Porto, Portugal, where the total walking distance to Santiago is 128 km. During this planning stage, Giulia’s husband John and their long-time friend Carla also joined our party. We confirmed our reservations in January 2020, intending to walk in September 2020.

And then the pandemic shut the world down. COVID19 derailed our plans, or rather, paused them for exactly two years. When the world tentatively reopened for international travel, we rebooked for a mid-September 2022 walk. By the time we were ready to book our flights, Karen’s husband Tom also hopped on board. And now we were six. Six people each with his/her own reasons for wanting to walk the Camino. We confirmed our accommodations with Santiago Ways. They would also transfer our luggage from hotel to hotel… not quite the typical pilgrim’s travel mode, but I can assure you, walking 20 to 25 km for six consecutive days with a 10-pound backpack isn’t for the fainthearted.

Counting Down to Day 1 of El Camino - Porto (D-Day minus 3):

The entire group converged in Porto. Jetlagged as I was and with only one afternoon to see Porto, I inhaled the sights and sounds, its cobblestoned streets and alleys, Sao Bento Train Station with its 20,000 plus azulejo tiles depicting the history of Porto, and the eye-popping architecture in the old town. I tasted a codfish croquette washed down with coffee. I walked along the Douro River with my friends trying to absorb its beauty and the bustle of waterfront life. Across the river I saw a Viking River Cruise ship--did I mention I like cruising?--while tourist-filled vessels sailed past. For dinner we ate fresh fish at a seafood restaurant overlooking the water with the scenic night view ever present before us.

Porto to Baiona (D-Day minus 2): 

The next day the group left Porto for Baiona in a van that Carla had pre-arranged. I felt excited and maybe slightly apprehensive to be on my way to the place where our walk would begin, where I’d find out whether I had the mettle to endure daily walks of 20-25 km in unfamiliar terrain, and where I would experience more unknowns than usual. I sensed anticipation in my friends too, likely some of the same feelings churning through me.

When we arrived in Baiona located along the Vigo Bay, its sea-side, old-town charm immediately captivated me and the rest of the group. Even the little hotel we checked into, El Mosquito, seemed quaint. Our first order of business was to troop into the local tourism office with our pilgrim passports to receive the official Camino stamp. Then we had the rest of the day and the next day to explore the town… and that we did.

As soon as we left the tourist office, we headed to the Monterreal Castle built during the 12th-16th centuries, where a walk along the walls took my breath away, literally and figuratively. My eyes swept over an unobstructed view of the town of Baiona hugging the coastline broken by a cluster of boats docked close to the shore. I saw other towns, beaches and strands of islands in the distance, not realizing then that those places held the paths to Santiago.

After almost completing the circle around the castle, we came to the entrance of the Parador Hotel located next door. The group decided to explore the grounds for a small entrance fee, and instead found ourselves at a cafe perched on the hillside. As we took seats at a table, the intermittent rains that had dogged us since our arrival in Baiona sent us scuttling inside. We caught the attention of the sole waiter, a giant of a man who looked harried and a bit put-off by six people taking the liberty to seat themselves. That was the first hint of what we might expect in other understaffed restaurants.

And speaking of restaurants, when we returned to the town, we were shocked to find that none opened before 8 PM for dinner. While some let customers in earlier, it was only for drinks and snacks. I learned about this on an empty stomach expecting to be fed around 7 PM. When I finally ate around 9 PM, the food tasted so good--and I should add that we became buddies with our waiter--I over indulged. Combined with jet-lag and the noisy bars near the hotel, I only slept for three hours during each of the two nights in Baiona.

Baiona (D-Day minus 1):

The next morning, my belly filled with delicious ham and cheese on a toasted croissant and a cup of cafe con leche, I left with the group to continue exploring and to scout out the Camino path leading to Vigo, our first destination. After a trip up the hill to Parque Mercedes de la Escalera where the views were spectacular, we looked for the Camino symbol, a yellow shell and an arrow. As we walked along the coastal trails, Giulia’s Camino Ninja app, which I also downloaded later that night, confirmed we were on the right path. Although our walk wouldn’t begin until the next day, according to my Apple watch I had walked over 14 km that day… not too shabby for a pre-Camino dry run.

The Next Chapter:

And so began our 128-km walk in Baiona on September 15, a journey that meant something different for each one of us. Personally, I wanted this pilgrimage to be about slowing down time to stretch and hold on to happy moments just a little longer. If I could do that by walking with friends, eating meals with them and shopping for unexpected treasures, then that’s what I signed up for. 

Stay tuned for the next chapter when the adventure begins and we meet other pilgrims each with unique stories of their experiences.