Camino de Santiago - Day 1

Ponferrada to Las Medulas - 17 miles

My day didn't start off well: I was packed, ready and hungry. I was really looking forward to a full Breakfast (of any kind) but what I got was an offer for a hot drink and a cup of cake. I first thought they were joking but when I realised they weren't I almost cried. I consumed an energy bar instead and set off thinking I would simply stop at the next village and eat there ... I couldn't have been more wrong; but a bit more on that later.

I set off with a spring to my step and a grin plastered on my face as I have officially become 'Una Peregrina' (A Pilgrim) :) YEAY :). I've always had this image of Spain being very barren and scorching hot. It was a shock to the system to realise that the view that greeted me, snow-capped mountains and forests as far as the eye could see, was anything but. Pictures barely did it justice and yes I may have taken a few hundred pictures in the first hour alone. Beautiful, stunning and breathtaking are just a few words that come close.

To prove that you completed a Camino you were required to buy a 'Pilgrim Passport' and collect 2 stamps every day from various shops/businesses. After just an hour I reached my first village and I literally marched into the first establishment already tasting the amazing breakfast .... that never happened. It was another shock to realise that they didn't have cafes all over the place but mainly pubs with a lovely selection of salty peanuts. Not exactly what you need on a long walk where water is more precious than gold. I couldn't find one single shop to buy food from on my way. On a positive note, however, they were always happy to stamp my Pilgrim passport and wish me 'Buon Camino'.

Somebody upstairs must have taken pity on me as at 11 am I got VERY lucky. At the next village, a mobile baker stopped no more than 2 feet away from me; at this point, I was ready to beg for the driver's lunchbox I was soo hungry. Luckily he had a big stash of baked goodies and I bought the biggest bread I could point at and proceeded to consume it right there and then. Bread never tasted better than at that moment.

Not long after I met a group of 9 retirees who walk Caminos every year to stay fit and escape their wives :). What a great bunch. We didn't stay together for long as they planned to walk a lot further than I was so we said our goodbyes a few hours later. Walking through several deserted villages opened my eyes to the reality of the less touristy areas of Spain. There were a lot of houses in ruins and whole ghost villages with barely any birds in the area.

I wanted to make my first day special, especially with my first break, so after walking for 6 hours I finally found it. A castle ruin at the top of a very steep hill with 360-degree views of the mountain chain in the distance. I enjoyed this view for an amazing 40 minutes. The last stage of the day's walk was hard, considering the only thing I had the whole day was a single piece of bread and about 5 gallons of water. As soon as I arrived at my destination I checked in, dropped my bag and almost ran to the nearest food stand. I would say the evening meal could only be compared to ambrosia and my room, with 270 views of the mountains, to a 5-star luxury accommodation.

It took 10 hours to walk 17 miles but the weight, sweat and pain were worth every second.