Jimandi

A brief 10 minute ride to GSP, check-in (5 minutes) and TSA pre-check (3minutes) got us to two somewhat comfortable seats near gate A2 by 9:00 a.m.

Our reward for conforming to airline/airport guidelines for international flights and avoiding the potential crowd on this Memorial Day weekend was a long wait until our 12:37 (on time) flight to CLT.

The 23 minute flight from GSP to CLT was on schedule and smooth, in spite of the low cloud ceiling.

We touched down at 1:02 and after 28 minutes of taxiing among the suburbs of CLT, we finally arrived at our assigned gate and deplaned at 1:34!!

The walk from E8 (somewhere in NC) to D5 took a mere 10 minutes, where we found two vacant seats and settled in for the wait for Flight 748 to Madrid scheduled to depart at 3:35.

We boarded on time, but were delayed about a half-hour to correct a mechanical issue.

Every seat on the plane was occupied, the meals (dinner & breakfast) were palatable and free, even for the economy section. The 7-hour plus flight was smooth and uneventful.

After deplaning we walked for 10-15 minutes in order to join a very long queue for customs/border control. We both completed the new EES (Entry/Exit System) registration consisting of: passport number, full name, face photograph, 4-finger prints. We also input the dates of our visit for monitoring visa overstays. Jim registered via automated kiosk and Linda had to register manually via a live border/customs patrol agent after the kiosk didn’t like her finger prints capture.

On our next visit to the Schengen Area, the EES system should speed up the time spent waiting to clear customs/border control… since we will already be in the EES and there will be many more kiosks available to clear us through than the current staffing of customs/border control officers.

After clearing customs we boarded the MAD subway to the baggage claim section of Terminal 4. We were relieved and then, ecstatic, when we found both of our backpacks waiting in the baggage claim area… allowing Camino2026 to continue.

We found a cart, loaded our beautiful, brilliantly blue IKEA wrapped parcels, found an elevator to go up two levels to locate an Iberian counter to obtain our boarding passes and check our bags on the 12:20 flight to Pamplona.

All went well at Iberian allowing us to proceed through the airport security check, which also occurred without incident.

The next 3 hours were spent chillin, having our first cafe-con-leche of Camino2026 and people watching until boarding the next-to-final leg of our journey to the starting point of Camino2026.

We boarded the Iberian flight on time and a little more than an hour later deplaned at Pamplona regional airport, quickly collected our backpacks and selected from a long line of taxis awaiting our arrival to take us the final 10 minutes to our Hotel on the edge of the old town. The Hotel Yoldi checkin process was fast and seamless.

So, we safely completed the more than 5000 mile trip from our home in Greenville to the northeastern province of Navarre, crossing 5 time zones in less than 24 hours to reach the starting point of Camino2026 in Pamplona, Spain. Buen Camino!

We originally planned for Camino2026 to begin on May 1. However, on November 6, 2025, our grandson, Mac, shared that he and Anna had become engaged and asked that we save May 22 for their planned wedding.

So, we tentatively set May 24 as our departure date for Camino2026 and decided to start our walk in Pamplona as we did in 2025.

And, because of the ever increasing popularity of the Camino Frances, we decided to reserve each night’s lodging before leaving for Spain. Subsequently, we began the tedious process on November 18, 2025 with our first contact being via email with a hard-to-get albergue in the small village of Cirauqui.

Once we successfully secured this first reservation, we plugged it into our tentative itinerary (a spreadsheet based on Camino2025) and proceeded to fill-in other accommodations, giving priority to the hard-to-book ones. We completed the last of the 49 total bookings on April 18. We used (1)Booking.com, (2) email, (3) Whatapp and (4) available property websites to secure the reservations.

In parallel with our booking process, we began gathering the items we would each need for our 7-week trek and displayed them on our guest bedroom bed. We added to and subtracted from our respective collections until we were satisfied we were each left with only “essentials”.

On May 11, we packed our respective backpacks and flight carryons/ daypacks to verify that there was room for everything and that it was comfortably transportable.

Last year, we used Correos, the Spanish postal service, to transport our backpacks to and from each daily destinations. The service was very reliable and much less expensive than the other transport services we used on previous caminos. However, once in Spain, it was difficult to pay at their website, requiring a visit to a major office in Pamplona, delaying our walk to our next destination. We also struggled finding someone to print our itinerary from the Correos website for the bag tags and then looking for materials for securely attaching the tags to our backpacks.

So, with the Camino 2026 itinerary completed and each night’s lodging reserved, we were able to do all the “front end” prep work for backpack (mochila) transport from the comfort of our home, benefiting from a superior internet signal, color printer and “golf bag name tags”, easily purchased from Amazon.

Finally, since we need to take trekking poles, scissors and a pocket swiss-army knife with us, carrying them in our fanny pack or carryon pack is not an option given TSA regulations for our flights. Thus, we put these items into our backpacks, which we check. To keep our checked backpacks dry and safe from handling and/or mishandling by airline and airport handlers and automated equipment… we found a lightweight (11oz), inexpensive ($5.00) plastic, zippered duffle bag at IKEA. It’s called FRAKTA.

We expected the FRAKTA to be disposable, but it has held up now for 3 caminos going to and from Spain. It appears to be able to make the journey for Camino2026 too. Once we arrive in Spain, we fold it and stuff it in the section between the back support and hydration bladder and accept the added weight. But with its low cost it could be discarded once in Spain to save the extra 11oz weight to carry. By using the transport service, weight is no longer an issue for us.

Larry, our generous friend, neighbor and ardent follower of our blog, has offered to give us a ride to GSP on Sunday morning, so unless we’ve forgotten something, we’re ready to embark on Camino 2026.

Our Caminos to date:

Camino 2026 will be, logistically, similar to Camino 2025. We’ll begin again in Pamplona and end in Santiago 46 days later. And, it will be our second opportunity to walk across Northern Spain in late spring/early summer.

While the route will be the same, we will be staying at 10 properties for the first time. (For 3 properties, it will be our 8th return visit.) Our mental and physical challenges will be different, as will our encounters with new pilgrims and service providers. And we look forward to the renewal of acquaintances and friendships developed during prior caminos.

Because of the ever-increasing popularity of the Camino Frances (over 500,000 pilgrims in 2025), to reduce a potential stressor, we recently completed bookings for each night’s stay to eliminate the risk of arriving at our planned destination and finding all suitable accommodations “completo”.

Our preparations for Camino 2026 are nearing completion as we approach our departure for Spain on May 24th.

The Camino Frances begins in St Jean Pied de Port in France and extends across Spain to Santiago for a total of 799 km (487 miles).  Our Camino2025 began in Pamplona and ended in Santiago, reducing our total potential to 712km (434 miles).

When we both struggled with bad colds, we skipped walking and used public transportation for 40 km (24 miles).  We also skipped segments of the Camino that totaled 220 km (135 miles) that we have walked two or more times before and chose not to walk this time due to one of the following reasons: (1) required us to walk more than 10 miles in a given day,(2) contained difficult terrain that we didn’t care to repeat for safety reasons or (3) included walking through densely urban or industrial areas not characteristic of the typical Camino, especially the Camino experienced by Medieval Pilgrims. Consequently, Camino 2025 amounted to walking only 275 miles in 43 days for an average of 6.4 miles/day.  Our longest walk was 9.0 miles and shortest was 4.1 miles. 

We are frequently asked “What does it cost to do the Camino”. Because of our unique approach to walking the Camino Frances, our expenses would likely be considered on the high side of pilgrims walking the Camino in a more traditional fashion.  So, an analysis of our costs follows, to give you a frame of reference should you be planning your Camino:

Total cost for Camino2025 (Total days=56, walking=43) was $12,750.   Air travel to Pamplona was $3615 ($3239: GSP to MAD, $376: MAD to PNA).  The train returning from Santiago to Madrid cost $113. Our average cost per day for lodging was 70.24€ ($81.50) and 55.24€ ($64.07) for meals and snacks.  Transporting our backpacks cost $428 and taxi/bus fares were 487€ ($565).  In retrospect, it was an extraordinary adventure vacation experience for less than $230/day for 2 adults.

Camino2025, our 7th Camino, in several ways was our best. Walking in the spring vs summer/fall eliminated our need to begin each day walking in the dark and reduced significantly the time waiting to checkin at our next destination.  It was nice to see more greens vs browns in the scenery around us, more flowers of different colors and less dried up streams/rivers. Conversely, we missed seeing, walking through and sampling the fruit filled vineyards and orchards.

Dealing with a bad cold for over a week was a bummer, but manageable and on hindsight, confirmed the healing environment of the Camino.  We lost several days of walking when sick, but we still made progress via taxi or bus.  In the end, after 43 days of walking over 6 miles per, carrying a daypack, we felt healthier and stronger, confirming that our advanced chronological age is still not a deterrent.

Interesting pilgrims, local citizens and hostelers enriched our experiences along the way and previous relationships were renewed, appreciated and strengthened. The cuisine and culture of Northern Spain reminded us of the value of simplicity in our lives and reinforced practices and lifestyles to be continued upon our return home. The simplicity of the Camino became even more apparent as we rejoined the complexity and stress of the world on our way back home.

Walking and living on the Camino Frances has had a profound impact on our lives and who we are.  Our physical, mental and spiritual condition has been influenced and strengthened by it. It has positively influenced our relationship and our appreciation of each other as we have shared the challenges and satisfactions associated with experiencing the Camino Frances together. 

The perennial question is “will we do it again” and the answer, as before, is “we’ll see”.

We walked to the newly updated Santiago train station just before daybreak. The new station has been under construction for as long as we can remember, but the final result is impressive.

The following is a brief journal of our train ride from Santiago to Madrid. Photos are a challenge when the sun is rising on your side of the train and seats on “better lighting” side are occupied. Also, interior train lights and other light sources create reflections that are picked up in photos taken through the windows. Further, the photo subjects outside are appearing and disappearing at 180 mph most of the way. So, please forgive the photo quality chronicling our ride down to Madrid.

After lunch we chilled a bit in our comfortable room and re-organized our packs again. (backpack and carry-on).

The temperature in Madrid got to 101F by mid-afternoon, so we were glad to not be walking. Looking back, the temperature in Santiago this afternoon was 87F.

So, we walked across Spain, took a train to Madrid and tomorrow it’s a jet to Charlotte/Greenville.

We’ll do a wrap-up on Camino2025 when we get back home.

Buen Camino!

After setting an alarm everyday for 2 months on the Camino, we slept in this morning until around 8, then walked next door from our hotel and had a breakfast of cafe con leche and Croissants!

When we finished, Linda returned to the room to begin reorganizing her stuff for the train trip tomorrow. So, Jim returned the 1.25 mile walk to old Santiago de Compostela to take some photos and checkout the inside of the Catedral.

When Jim entered the Catedral there was a 9:30 pilgrims mass beginning and no photos were allowed in respect for the parishioners.

So Jim took a seat and joined the 30 minute service. It was obviously in Spanish and Jim’s not catholic, thus being unfamiliar with the service routine. So, when not reflecting on the spirituality of the moment, he observed the artwork and sculpture and symbolism displayed all around him.

Here are some of his visual observations during the service and then after the service.

The ‘Botafumeiro’ is the famous giant thurible or censer in the Santiago de Compostela cathedral. It has been used since the Middle Ages, to clean the air when crowds of pilgrims, having completed the Camino de Santiago, arrived in Santiago de Compostela after their long journey.

The Codex Calixtinus, the first Camino de Santiago ‘guide-book’, refers to the ‘Botafumeiro’ as Turibulum Magnum, which means this ritual has been taking place at least since the 12th century.

The current ‘Botafumeiro’ dates back to 1851, and it’s made of silver-plated brass, is 160 cm high and weighs 62kg when empty plus up to another 10 kgs more when filled with smoking coal and incense. Eight men, called ‘Tiraboleiros’, are required to operate the ‘Botafumeiro’.

The Santiago de Compostela Botafumeiro is the largest ‘Censer” in the world.

Moving forward, with the transepts to your left and right, you can focus more on the Altar Major which features St. James.

After his brief visit today to the old city and the Catedral, Jim hurried back to our hotel to get to work organizing his stuff for our return home,

The rest of the day was routine/uneventful. We got to bed early as our train departs for Madrid at 7:48 a.m. tomorrow morning.