PEOPLE DON’T TAKE TRIPS, TRIPS TAKE PEOPLE (John Steinbeck)
On the Camino de Santiago trek in Spain
By Sagra Garcia, founder TravelAdventureKids.com, Taking the Kids Guest Blogger
This trek in Spain is one of the greatest trips ever, you go with your ideas and thoughts and you come back with a different new perspective no matter the reasons for you to choose the tour, “THE WAY” will touch you for sure. The emotivity of certain moments will transform your expectation on the trip in the magic of the moment.
A life changing experience is waiting for you, BUEN CAMINO!
Sarria- Santiago de Compostela 111km
Last December, traveladventurekids faced a new adventure, that was walking the Camino de Santiago in 5 days with our youngest adventurers and in the middle of winter.
It has been one of the most beautiful trips we have taken with families and children where there were many magical moments and full of spectacular landscapes, surrounded by mysterious animals and villages. Some mornings we began the day with a lot of fog and we ended up with a radiant sun and colors so full of life that at the end of the day, our eyes hurt with such beauty.
There were times for overcoming, because we must say that the path is not easy, there were moments to discover small abandoned towns, walk among cows, dogs and always some cat that came to welcome us between village and village, which made our trip more moving.
The gastronomy along with the culture and Celtic legends of this region of northern Spain “the incredible Galicia”, made our trip a walk through history and a journey through the past in a complete immersion with nature.
Under an ancient tree on the Camino de Santiago trek
There were magical moments, where despite the fatigue, the arrival at an old church where we could light a candle or ring its bells, made every step we took into a unique experience.
Its very kind and simple people, offered us the best of their cuisine and hospitality.
We slept in the oldest hotel in the world “Parador Reyes Católicos” in front of the Cathedral of Santiago. We also spent the night in a ghost hotel, where we were the only ones and the mystery of the night. We enjoyed the company of our guide dog “Tros” who took us by hidden rivers and slept in the only mill that still works along the way.
Sometimes we share a hostel with other pilgrims (Australians and Americans), the only ones who dared to make the journey on that date. We ate at charming places and the food was always a delight.
We were able to enjoy the magic of “la queimada”, a typical Galician drink made with a very ancient sorcery of the local witches and served with fire.
At the end of our trip we were lucky to be welcomed in the Cathedral of Santiago with special mention to our adventure team of Traveladventurekids and enjoy something unique in the world, the famous “Botafumeiro” which is where the incense burns, inside the Cathedral and it is a spectacle to see and admire, the children and the grown-ups too, we are captivated with its fragrance and its magic.
Kids goofing at the end of a day of trekking
“The way”, for some it can be a pilgrimage, for others an excuse to walk, for others a different way to enjoy an active holiday with the family… what if I can say “the way”, which has been done for more than 1000 years, it is a path with such energy that regardless of the reasons why it is done, it manages to fill the person who makes it with magic and charm.
At the end we all got our official certification “La Compostela” and best of all our passport with all the stamps and souvenirs of each of the places where have been in the camino.
Definitely a trip to repeat and above all to remember all your life.
Contact Traveladventurekids.com for further information.
BUEN CAMINO!!!