Editors’ Note: In June of 2017, the author made a pilgrimage to the Santiago de Compostela with his wife Elizabeth and their grandson Gian. They chose the Camino Frances, the most popular route, which begins in Saint-Jean-Pied-de–Port, France and ends in Santiago, Spain – a distance of 790 kms. This year, from June to July of 2023, the author walked 383 kms. of the Camino Frances again, this time with his brother Diogenes (nickname Boyax) as companion, his first Camino attempt. Dennis Marpuri, a retiree from Northern California, who hails from Ocampo, Camarines Sur, is the founder and leading advocate of the Camino de Peñafrancia, the pilgrimage from Ocampo (and soon other starting points) to the Peñafrancia Shrine in Naga City. A pilgrimage was held last year with 18 participants during the Peñafrancia festivities. This year, preparations are underway for a larger pilgrimage in September 2023.

Our 2023 Pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela

Day 1, June 25: St. Jean Pied de Port, France – Orisson, France

My brother Boyax and I started our pilgrimage full of enthusiasm. He carried memories of his late wife Bing along with her photograph. For me I was back in the Camino de Santiago to relive the pilgrimage my wife Elizabeth and I took together in 2017. Sadly, this time she would not be with me. How I wished we were climbing the Pyrenees mountains together. Missing her already.

We left early at 6:30am for the 8-kilometer climb up the French Pyrenees. My brother started walking fast leaving me behind. I walked at my normal pace since I knew the climb would be brutal. Little by little, he started to slow down. As we continued, our ascent got harder and harder. 

My brother began to rest every 10 meters, complaining about the weight of his backpack. I concurred, mine was just too heavy for my old age. I had to gasp for air as my heart felt it would explode every 10 meters of the way.

My brother struggled through the last 3 kilometers where the paved road turned into dirt.  He told me to go ahead but I said I would stay with him and wait no matter how long it would take. At the last 2 kilometers he finally gave up and laid on the side of the road.  Twice he tried to get up, but his cramps made it unbearably impossible to get up and walk. Finally, I told him I would continue the last kilometer and find help to hail a taxi.

Upon reaching Le Refuge Orisson, I immediately asked the owner to call for a taxi. As the albergue (hostel) was situated near the top of the mountain, I learned no taxis were available. The owner’s son instead offered to pick up my brother, where he was laying on the side of the road. So finally, he joined me at the albergue and we had lunch at 12:35pm.

A sad note about our first Camino day. While we were having lunch, a couple of German descent got up and bade us farewell. They were continuing their pilgrimage to the next town 17 kilometers away.  As they walked 100 meters from where we were, the woman collapsed and died of heart failure.

At the end of our day, Fr. David of San Luis Obispo celebrated mass for the pilgrims.

Day 2, June 26: Orisson, France – Roncesvalles, Spain

And we’re back in SPAIN!!!

We started our early morning routine with 11 pilgrims of different nationalities – 2 French, 1 Australian, 6 Americans (including Boyax), 1 Serbian and 1 Filipino (me).

The weather on the Pyrenees was mostly cloudy, cold, windy, with a bit of drizzle and 10 feet visibility.

The climb was not as bad as the previous day’s 8-kilometer trek. But today it was longer, with 19 kilometers of varying terrain – 13 kilometers ascending and 6 kilometers pure downhill. We developed blisters on both feet.

After our pilgrim’s dinner, we attended mass at 8:00pm. About 30 plus pilgrims participated.

Day 3, June 27: Roncevalles – Zubiri

We left Roncesvalles at 7:15am after breakfast.  This time it was sunny but cold. It was a relatively easy walk for the first 9 kilometers, but the next 12 was the killer. 

I thought our 3rd day would be a walk in the park. It was just as bad, if not worse. Another grinding day with continuous rolling hills, really tough on my knees – and blisters.

Oh well, I did not come here in Spain to enjoy and have fun. I came here to reconnect with my faith.

Not only were my knees hurting, but my blisters were also getting worse coming down the mountain.

My solace was after 18 kilometers of constant pounding of my feet, there was a food truck on the side of the trail playing salsa music.  Suddenly, a burst of energy went through my body.  For a few minutes, I was alive!

Day 4, June 28: Rest Day (Travel from Zubiri to Burgos)

We completed the 3 toughest trails in the Camino.  Now we decided to do the Meseta route, the hottest trail on the Camino during the summer. We left Zubiri at 10:00am and took the train to Burgos, Spain. 

It was quite an experience staying in Burgos as it seemed no one slept at night. Spaniards flocked to the bars at 5:00pm and partied all night.  Every bar and restaurant played their own blaring music. On top of this, there was a marching band that got everyone in a party mood.  Groups were singing along so loud with the band. It seemed the people of Burgos partied all night. The partying ended around 3:30am.

Well, time to go back to sleep.  Hopefully our walk tomorrow would come easy,

Day 5, June 29: Burgos – Hornillos del Camino

Today, we tackled the dreaded Meseta route, the hottest Camino trail. We started in Burgos early – a breezy, windy, and cold morning. The temperature started to rise at kilometer 7, and by the time we reached the half point, the temperature was 40 Celsius.

The terrain started out 8 kilometers flat, then 6 kilometers inclined, and then 7 kilometers downhill. Now I have 4 blisters.

After reaching our albergue, I rested for 30 minutes and did my laundry.  We had paella dinner at 7:00pm.

Day 6, June 30: Hornillos del Camino – Castrojeriz

What a long day! The trek today was almost the same as yesterday. Lots of terrain changes. The weather was normally hot with no shade in sight for miles.

My blisters were painful, but I could still manage to walk slowly. I already consumed lots of Compeed brand patches for blisters (like BandAid). No complaints. No regrets. I knew from the very start of my Camino that anything could happen. This was one of many sacrifices I would have to endure on this Camino.

Day 7, July 1: Rest Day (Travel from Castrojeriz to Leon)

One thing for sure was I needed to rest my feet due to blisters.  Fortunately, the timing was good. As we were scheduled to go to Leon for our third phase, we could catch a bus to Hospital de Orbigo.  Then start our next scheduled walk from Hospital de Orbigo to Astoria.

One of the many things I learned in this Camino was that I would not get lost in Northern Spain. This morning after researching how to get from Castrojeriz to Leon, we took a taxi to the Villaquiran train station. Then we took a train going to Palencia and transferred to another train to Leon.

Tonight, I re-dressed my blisters and hoped they would heal faster. This injury would not be a hindrance to my finishing the Camino.

Day 8, July 2: Villadangos – Hospital de Orbigo

Another scorching heat today. Two days ago, we were in the Meseta where there were miles and miles of wheat fields as far as could see. Today, the terrain was more of the same, flat, and long. Instead of wheat, now there were fields of sunflowers and corn.

The trail ran parallel to the N-120 highway.  It was 10 kilometers long with no shade to hide under.

My old blisters were holding up but two more came up on both my toe pinkies. Not that I was complaining, I ran out of medicine to apply to my foot. To add more medicine insult, we found the pharmacies were closed as it was a Sunday.

After 12 kilometers of walking, I finally arrived at my destination, Hospital de Orbigo. 

I could finally rest, take a shower, do my laundry, and sleep, for tomorrow was another day of walking.

Day 9, July 3: Hospital de Orbigo – Astorga

We finally got our daily routine down to a T. Woke up at 6:00am, get ready with your backpack, breakfast, and out the albergue at 7:00am. 

Today’s weather started chilly in the morning but as we continued our walk towards the hill the temperature rose to 30 Celsius and later reached about 40 by noon time.

For those who follow my documentary, you may have noticed that in all the villages that we passed from 7:00am till noon you will not see a single soul walking around. Even restaurants are closed.  I wonder why? (Editors’ Note: Spain has a peculiar workday that fits around their siesta time.)

There were a bunch of pilgrims we encountered walking today on the trail. We met a lot of pilgrims from Korea, Taiwan, France, Spain, Holland, and one from the Philippines who started in Burgos. As we got closer to Sarria, the trail got crowder.

We arrived in Astorga at 12:00 noon. Luckily, we were able to get our beds for tonight.

Tomorrow we would proceed to Rabanal, a 20-kilometer distance from Astorga.

Day 10, July 4: Astorga – Rabanal del Camino

Today was the very first time we got up very early (5:00 am) to prepare for the climb ahead of us. Many other pilgrims were leaving Astorga early, too, and we were all looking for breakfast.

The climb was gradual until the last 2 kilometers as the trail became mixed loose rocks and uneven dirt. As a result, I developed more blisters.

I met a few pilgrims on the way up to Rabanal del Camino. One was from Peru, another from Taiwan, and the rest were from Italy, France, and other European countries.

Tonight, I might end up restructuring our scheduled walk due to my injuries. But at the same time, I also did not want my brother to miss must-see landmarks along the way. I wanted to document his spiritual journey in full.

I could not take many photos today because the trail was long all the way to Rabanal. We did pass through the villages of Murias de Rechivaldo, Castrillo, Santa Catalina, El Ganso, and Rabanal

Day 11, July 5: Rabanal – Molinaseca

Yes, we were now halfway to our intended total distance walk to Santiago de Compostela. I had mixed feelings – was I happy because it was getting close to the end, or was I sad because pretty soon our pilgrimage would be ending.

Limping or not, we kept on moving. Today we left Rabanal del Camino at 6:15am. It was not a surprise that we tackled a difficult terrain, especially going down the mountain.

The total distance was 25 kilometers total. The first 7 kilometers were uphill until Cruz de Ferro. The rest was downhill to Molinaseca, where the terrain was full of loose rocks and gravel. I opted not to do the downhill to preserve my knees and blistered feet. I was happy with my decision.  Some members were limping as they came down the hill, and some of them opted to stay in Acebo village halfway down.

My agreement with my brother was to reach Cruz de Ferro. I walked up to Cruz de Ferro and called a taxi to bring me down to Molinaseca.

At 1:30pm I watched him march out of the mountain. I was happy to see him with no injury.

In 2017, my wife and I tackled the same mountain. While we survived the ordeal, we were limping. So, this time, my brother wanted to experience going down the mountain.

Day 12, July 6: Molinaseca – Campanayara

We decided to leave early at 6:00am. There was no open restaurants in Molinaseca. The only energy booster that we could take this early was cafe con leche.

Molinaseca to Ponferrada was a street walk meaning just walking through the street leading to Ponferrada, no trails, no hills just plain pavement. As soon as we reached the outskirts of the city, we found ourselves walking through trails again for a good 2 kilometers downhill.

Walking from to Porferrada was more of the same, flat and using sides street all the way to Camponaraya.

Tonight, we stayed at La Medina Hostal and tomorrow we would walk straight to Villafranca Del Bierzo.

Day 13, July 7: from – Campanarya; to – Villafranca del Bierzo

Our walk for today was done.  From Camponaraya to Cacabelos was easy. It was all pavement and all side streets. We dropped by a restaurant for a quick breakfast in Cacabelos.

As soon as we left Cacabelos, it started with almost 2 kilometers of uphill. Then, it took us to vineyard plantations with rough terrain. The trail surface was mostly gravel, which made walking harder since I was wearing sandals. It continued more of the same. What intrigued me was that you thought you had already reached the summit, which gave a sense of false hope. You would not see the bend until you reached the summit. Then you realized you had more climbing to do.

Left early in Camponaraya at 6:00am and finally reached Villafranca around 11:15am in time for a quick cold coke. My brother was waiting for me in Villafranca.

Day 14, July 8: Villafranca del Bierzo – Vega del Valvarce

Finally, we got an easy flat boring terrain today. It started in an easy side street that changed to walking next to a highway for 17 kilometers.

We left at 6:00am and arrived at our destination Vega del Varcarce at 11:00am. The Albergue was still closed and would open at 12:30 pm so we had plenty of time to rest and eat lunch.

Tomorrow would be a short walk to O’Cebreiero (10 kilometers) but it was the second hardest mountain that we would have to climb compared to the Pyrenees mountain in France.

Day 15, July 9: Vega del Valcarce – O’Cebreiro

I was so exhausted after the climb. It was only 10.5 kilometers but man – a never ending climb!

On the way to the summit, I met Esta from Germany who was having trouble climbing up the mountain. She said she hurt her knees and she was walking slowly. My brother Boyax, who happened to have medicine for the knee, gave it to her to apply.  Now she was walking around, not feeling any pain.

There were around 200 pilgrims housed in this albergue municipal. The only albergue in this village. Anticipating the symphony of snores tonight.

Tomorrow would be a longer walk to Triacastela (20 kilometers).

From O’Cebreiro, right away we went downhill for about 6 kilometers when suddenly the terrain changed to climb for about 300 meters in a 45-degree angle. Once we reached to top there was a restaurant waiting for you. Everyone took advantage of it to relax and grab some breakfast.

Day 16, July 10: O’Cebreiro – Triacastela

It was a long day for me today. I arrived at nearly 2:00 pm after a very long stretch of downhill.  The marker said 22 kilometers from start to finish. 

Although once we continued our walk at the elevation of 1270 meters, we reached Alto de San Roque. After a short respite I continued my walk for 12 kilometers downhill. 

Now we were ready to go to sleep and be ready for tomorrow’s walk. Another 18 kilometers from Triacastela to Sarria.

Day 17, July 11: Triacastela – Sarria

It was 55 F degrees as we started walking early in the morning. It was very foggy and dark. Even my iPhone (not good in low light) could not capture our early walk.

The way to Sarria started with almost 2 kilometers of ascent.  As we reached the summit the terrain changed from pavement to trail to gravel. Then we encountered more rolling hills (up and down) for a good 10 kilometers.

Oh boy! I missed the arrow sign going up the turn and suddenly I was lost in the hills. I wandered for another 3 kilometers not seeing any sign. The bad part was I could not see any locals wandering on the street nor at their houses, and it was past 10:00am.

Finally, I saw an angel in his garden, so I asked him where the way was. He talked to me in Spanish.  Arrgh! I wished I learned my Spanish back in college.  So, he used hand gestures to direct me to go down the street.  As I walked down, another person told me to go up. I was really lost plus I could not understand what they were saying. “No intiende Español, senior.”

Finally, a savior came my way. Three other pilgrims got lost like me. They made the wrong turn, too. As it turned out, one of the pilgrims spoke Spanish. He did the talking. After getting the instructions, I stuck with them like glue so I would not get lost again. When they walked fast, I went fast. So finally, we saw the sign again on the road.

By the time I reached Sarria I could barely walk with my banged-up feet and ego.

Tomorrow would be our REST DAY (rest my feet, rest my body, and rest my spirit). At 7:00pm we attended the pilgrim’s mass.

Day 18, July 12:  Rest of Day in Sarria

Finally, we gave ourselves a rest while waiting for the arrival of my family.

Tomorrow was the start of our final 115 kilometers from Sarria to Santiago de Compostela.

Day 19, July 13: Sarria – Portomarin

I finally re-connected with my wife and children on our pilgrimage for the last 116 kilometers from Sarria to Santiago.

Everyone was excited for the walk. Some woke up at 4:00am to do their thing, especially our women. Good thing we were staying in a 10-bedroom hotel, but they were a bit noisy.

At 5:45am we were all out of the hotel and started walking toward the exit of the town. As we walked, we came across a restaurant that was just opening for breakfast and we got our cafe con leche and naranja natural.

Day 20, July 14: Portomarin – Palas de Rei’

After a few meters away from the city, we started to climb for almost one kilometer to the summit. We were huffing and puffing throughout the climb since we did not have breakfast. At this early in the morning, there was no sign of restaurants opening for breakfast.

We walked for 24 kilometers today. I was very exhausted when we reached our albergue (dormitory). We woke up at 4:30 am. so we could get an early start on our walk this morning. 

There were so many pilgrims walking the last 100 kilometers. One can tell the difference of pilgrims that just started in Sarria versus pilgrims started from St Jean Pied de Port or Pamplona or Burgos or Leon.  The ones who started in Sarria looked fresh. With new backpacks and shoes, they walked faster than everyone. The ones who started from other parts of Spain were haggard looking, with worn out clothes and were limping.

It took 7 kilometers of walking till we hit Gonzar where we were able to grab some breakfast consisting of cafe con leche, fresh orange, sausage, and egg.  Much energy boost for the remainder of our walk – but would this be enough?

The walk was long. The terrain remained the same, rolling hills. Although it felt more like rolling mountains.

We arrived in Palas de Rei around 3:00pm. Tomorrow will be the longest walk (26 kilometers).

Day 21, July 15: Palas de Rei – Rabidaso

This route was the longest and one of the hardest terrains to tackle along the last 100 kilometers from Sarria to Santiago de Compostela.

When we left Palas de Rei in the morning, it was cold and raining.  This was the very first time I had to use my poncho and raincoat.

There were many hills to cross before reaching our destination.  The trail was long, ascending, and wet.

Day 22; July 16: Ribadiso – Pedrouzo

Sorry I was not able to write yesterday.  I was so tired that every time I tried to write my brain and my fingers would not respond anymore.

We woke up at 4:30 am with all the preparations for the day’s walk. We left our albergue at 6:30 after breakfast. The terrain was much better than the previous day.  There were still rolling hills but not as high, although it was a 23-kilometer distance. I was the last one to arrive at the albergue at 2:30pm.

Day 23; July 17: Pedrouzo – Santiago de Compostela

We are finally home!!!

A postscript by Boyax, Dennis’ brother:

FINDING MY WAY… After walking 400km I finally found my way… Santiago de Compostela I’m home! I never thought that I would make it since I struggled since Day 1. But with the Lord’s and St James’s guidance and with my late wife Bing’s motivation as she walked with me in spirit, I did it!

I thank my brother Dennis, my mentor with whom I walked this journey. Even with 7 blisters on his feet, he kept going. I also thank my very supportive sister, Aires M Limpiado, my buddy in training while I was in San Diego, CA. Great and awesome journey I would say. Till the next chapter of my life.