My First Camino (2025)

12/08/2025

👣🥵 Water, Aquarius, Powerade, water water water.
The Camino is hot hot hot this week. Take care of yourself 🚰🧊🚰💧
Buen Camino!!

11/08/2025

❤️👣 Lots of people fear not being able to walk/complete the Camino. That’s a fair insecurity, of course. It’s a journey outside our comfort zone, and a challenging one (physical or mental, or both), at least for most of us.

Let me tell you something that could give you some confidence and reassurance: you will meet a lot of elderly pilgrims there.

One of the most amazing things was to meet and talk to pilgrims that were over 75 years old. Some of them were over 80! And they were there, walking at their own pace (faster or slower, like anybody else), carrying their backpacks or not carrying their backpacks, sharing meals, drinks and lots of wisdom with us. And most of them once had the same doubts and insecurities, that were overcame to transform a dream into a reality, an ageless reality.

I hope you all find a way to walk the Camino if that’s your dream. No matter how and when 👣❤️

P.S.
As I’m not over 70 (yet, hopefully I will be 🙏🏼) and I didn’t have a nice photo of some pilgrim of this age took by me (and I didn’t want to use a “random” one from the internet), I wrote a few prompts on Dall-E until I got a fine image that could represent the spirit of the post 👍🏼. I hope you don’t mind.

Thanks and Buen Camino!
Daniel

08/08/2025

👣😄 Camino Tip.
Walking sticks are not mandatory, but they will surely be useful, especially on uphills and (even more so) downhills.

They will not only help with your balance when navigating rocky sections, but they will also work as a boost on the way up and a braking system on the way down, taking some of the load off your ankles and knees (🙏🏼).
I think it’s a very smart choice to have them with you, saving energy and reducing the probability of injuries.

Mr. Chaplin had a very simple one (as you can see in this rare and exclusive image I obtained from my Camino photo archives), but you can get a good pair for something like 20-25 euros (and much more for a high tech model) in the most common Camino starting points.

Buen Camino!
Daniel

06/08/2025

👣 Do you agree? The Camino provides them ALL 🥰
Ok, “a good night’s sleep” is controversial 😅, it depends a lot on the budget. And a good book might bring some extra weight. But in general… the Camino de Santiago might be the ULTIMATE luxury ❤️👣

04/08/2025

👣❤️ Another great Camino story…
This is Lorie Solis.
She is walking from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port to Santiago de Compostela pulling this cart and collecting litter, making the Camino cleaner to the next pilgrim.
Her trekking poles were adapted to pickup trash, her backpack is attached to the the cart and… there she goes, mile after mile.
Halfway through, she already took 50 kg (!) / 110 lbs away from the path.

You can folllow her journey on Instagram.
I will leave the link in the comments, with a few more photos of this incredible journey.

THANK YOU, Lorie.
What you are doing is awesome.
Buen Camino!!
Daniel

01/08/2025

🐾🐶 How amazing is this? A Compostela for dogs! Compostela Canina 😍
Axel and Sammy walked around 150 km from Pedrafita do Cebreiro and got their Compostelas after arriving in Santiago a few days ago.

“It was beautiful, grounding, emotional, and hard. But we made it together. Limping Legends, they call us now.” - wrote Axel Delaere, who gently gave permission to share this beautiful story and photo.

The Compostela Canina says:
The Camino Animal Protection Association certifies that Sammy made the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela from Pedrafita in the company of Axel, presenting Sammy’s Credential Canina stamped, attesting the passage through different Camino places.

Simply lovely.
Kudos to Sammy! The only way my lazy Shih Tzu, Tashi, would walk this much would be in my backpack!

Buen CAUmino to all dogs out there!
Daniel

31/07/2025

👣😍 The best sign in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port

30/07/2025

👣🎬👣The Way. Did you like it?

I watched “The Way” 10 years before I walked my first Camino.

From the very first shot of the Pyrenees, a shiver ran down my spine. And when I was actually there, I remember that exhilarating, slightly terrifying feeling of stepping onto the path for the first time, backpack (not so) heavy, spirit light. Pure happiness. For me. Not for Tom.

Tom was there to carry Daniel’s ashes to Santiago. His son, who had tragically died in the Pyrenees on the very first day of his Camino. A truly heartbreaking start. My name is also Daniel.

Martin Sheen's portrayal of Tom, the grieving father, resonated deeply. His initial reluctance, his guardedness, and his gradual thawing were so authentic. You meet many "Toms" on the Camino – people carrying burdens, looking for answers, or simply trying to outrun something. Gladly it was not my case. I had many reasons to walk the Camino - thankfully, they were all joyful ones.

Ah, and the "Camino family"! This is where "The Way" truly shines. That feeling of strangers becoming family, bound by nothing more than shared steps and open hearts, is the beating heart of the Camino, and the film captures it beautifully. Their banter, their shared meals, their quiet moments of support – it's all real. You truly do find yourself sharing your deepest vulnerabilities and your silliest jokes with people you've known for mere days, but who feel like lifelong friends.

The film also subtly touches on the physical realities – the blisters, the exhaustion, the simple joy of a hot meal or a comfortable bed (even in a crowded albergue - and this part scared me a little 😅). But more importantly, it captures the mental and emotional journey: the moments of doubt, the quiet introspection, and the profound sense of peace that can descend upon you in the middle of nowhere. It's not just a walk; it's a stripping away of the unnecessary, leaving only what truly matters.

So, for anyone who has walked the Camino, "The Way" is more than just a movie; it's a cherished memory brought to life. And for those who haven't, it's a heartfelt invitation to discover a journey that just might change everything.

Unlike many, this movie was not what drove me into walking the Camino. I had this dream since 1993, when I was a teenager and read Paulo Coelho’s book. But The Way surely made me want to do it even more.

Some “experienced pilgrims” don’t like the movie because it’s not real - true, it’s not a documentary. Others don’t like it because it brought too many people to the Camino. Well, about that, I think it’s a good thing, not a bad one. The Camino is there to be discovered and walked. It’s not supposed to be a secret.

Do I recommend "The Way"? Two words for you: Buen Camino! 👣
Daniel Castro

29/07/2025

✍️ It’s worth taking a minute to read this honest, heartfelt message. Two years ago, Grzegorz walked 790km on crutches to complete his Camino.
I asked for his permission to translate it from Polish and post it here.
All we get from this amazing guy is hope and love. I’ll leave more photos of his incredible journey in the comments, along with his page.
👇🏼

“It's been two years since I fulfilled my great dream, the "Camino Francés." Against all human logic. Against everything rational. A guy with one eye, one leg, but with a deeply scarred yet still burning heart.

On that journey, I first met myself, with all my longings and the wounds life had inflicted upon me through the hands of others. But it was on that path that I met people whose love re-showed me the beauty of life.

There, I received lessons in love that I return to every day. That path taught me about connecting with people. It taught me what true joy is and that its source isn't money, fame, or glamour, but the feeling of having true friends.

This journey was the last before a relapse of the illness that once again stripped me of things I loved.
But it became a time that showed me I would never be alone, because I have people willing to come from the other side of the world to support me and just be there.

Before and after the Camino, I encountered a lot of lies and hypocrisy in my own environment. Also in the Church and in the so-called "communities" connected to it. Absolutely everywhere. This doesn't mean the world and the Church are bad, but sometimes we choose the wrong people and entrust our invaluable deposit of trust into their hands.

This is also what the Camino taught me: to observe the world and wisely give my heart to people, because they often have no qualms about taking it and shattering it into a million pieces.

Two years have passed.
I quietly dream that perhaps I might someday return to the Camino, even for a tiny section of it. But what remains within me is gratitude for what I experienced on that path.

For the people that path gave me. For every friendship that was born there. For every lesson that shaped me there.

I recently heard from my friends' daughter, based on the fact that I don't own an apartment, a car, or a company: "Uncle, you're a complete loser in life." There's no point in getting indignant. That's how the world sees it. However, I know that I won this life, even though it was often smeared in the deepest muck.

I won it because I understood what is most important in this life. I wish for you too, that you find in life and within yourselves what will make you the winners of your own lives. ♥️”

28/07/2025

👣🥰 The card says: “This position is maintained thanks to your donation. Your colleagues who come after you will appreciate it.”
Camino de Santiago, May 2023 - somewhere between Puente la Reina and Estella.

It was always a bliss to unexpectedly find such places in the middle of nowhere along the Camino. 👣😊

P.S. This table was carefully set by a man named Jesús 🥰. I hope he is back season after season.

Buen Camino!

25/07/2025

👣🙏🏼 Viva, Santiago!
25 de Júlio, July 25th. Dia de Santiago! Patron of Spain and Galícia.
No matter what we believe, the Camino exists because of him.
Buen Camino!

24/07/2025

👣🚨 An alert to all pilgrims with reservations done…
Unfortunately, some people dedicate their lives to scams. One that is “trending” is the “it seems there is a problem with your reservation at ######”.

I’ve seen numerous posts in the Camino groups from people having doubts about the legitimacy of such messages.
People with REAL reservations receive contacts saying that there is some kind of problem with the credit card or the reservation you made (they KNOW the real hotel/pension/accommodation name, so it sounds legit) and they ask for some information to confirm everything is fine.

If you have some doubts and want to be sure everything is fine, without being financially hurt, you need to contact your accommodation through the OFFICIAL channels of communication, like the booking app you used or the accommodation itself - you can easily find a email or phone googling it. Then you ask them if everything is fine. It most certainly will be, probably you don’t even need to contact them, just ignore the “alert”.

Yesterday a lady posted saying that she gave the information asked, and in seconds there was a charge in her credit card - a gift card of 300 euros (if I remember well). Fortunately she could cancel it with the credit card company, but she could have had a big loss.

It seems clear that these scammers have access to some booking system information in order to have this kind of knowledge about where you are staying, so it’s probable that they will keep trying. If you receive a similar message, ignore it or contact the accommodation directly - don’t reply.

Be alert, be careful.
I hope it helps to bring awareness to this issue.
It would be nice if you could share it to reach more people.
Best of luck and Buen Camino to all of you!
Daniel

My First Camino