By Alex Verbeek – Director of Sustainability + Planet Culture at Kaleidoskope Travel
Another beautiful day on the Camino. I wake up early and see through the wide open windows how dark it still is. I don’t spend too much time to get ready. A lot of the things that I normally do in the morning are all done in the afternoons: showering, putting on clean clothes, and packing all that I need. I leave the hostel quietly and find my way back to the Camino.
The city is still asleep; I follow the river that leads me out of Ponferrada and into the fertile Bierzo region. I admire the sunrise and stop to photograph wildflowers.
The pretty blue-colored chicory is grown as a forage crop for livestock but grows here on the side of the street. And so does the yellow large-flowered evening-primrose; orginally from Brazil, it has somehow found its way to Northern Spain.
I stop at a small cafe and drink a freshly squeezed orange juice. But there is no time to lazily enjoy the sights of a village waking up. The sun is getting warmer, and I continue my journey through vineyards and orchards.
I find a hostel before the heat hinders my progress. The routine sets in: shower, clean clothes, doing laundry. Pilgrim days don’t start in the morning, but when arriving at the day’s destination.
Editor’s Note: Join Alexander as he takes to the Road for his walk , just like the Pilgrims of medieval times.
Please, sign up or buy him a cup of coffee or orange juice to keep him going on the Journey.
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