Sept 16 – Oviedo

If you wait until the right time to start living, you might be waiting forever. Go live your life. Do it sad. Do it anxious. Do it uncertain. Because healing doesn’t always come before the experience. Sometimes the experience is what heals you.

While this Camino journey really began when I landed in Madrid two days ago, it wasn’t until I arrived by train in Oviedo today that I knew I was about to embark on another great, and life changing, adventure. So here I am, in the North of Spain in Oviedo.

Fun fact for you history folks: Oviedo was founded in the 8th century and rose to prominence under King Alfonso II “the Chaste”, who made it the capital of the Kingdom of Asturias. From here, he ordered the construction of many of the city’s famed pre-Romanesque churches and strengthened Oviedo’s role as a political and religious center. Alfonso II is also credited with making the first pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela after the discovery of St. James’s tomb, establishing the Camino Primitivo as the “Original Way”. This route begins in Oviedo and remains the oldest of all the Camino de Santiago paths, tying the city’s history directly to the origins of Spains most famous pilgrimage.

Stepping off the train in Oviedo, I was struck by how effortlessly European the city feels…grand yet intimate, with layers of history in every stone. As I wandered its streets, the mix of medieval charm and lively plazas drew me in immediately.

After settling into my albergue, I lingered in the old town, letting the rhythm of the city unfold, while I waited for my trail companion. This journey will be a little different: for the first time, I won’t be walking alone. Kathleen—my friend and fellow albergue volunteer—is joining me, and together we’ll take on a good stretch of the Camino Primitivo.

Overall this short stay in Oviedo was fantastic. The Albergue was filled with pilgrims from all over the world and we all settled in for the night excited to begin our journey tomorrow.

My thoughts: I can hardly believe I am blessed with the chance to set out on another Camino. Each step of this journey feels like a gift, one I know not everyone is able to experience, and I hold that deeply in my heart. The thought that tomorrow I’ll be back on the trail, surrounded by beauty, history, and the quiet whispers of countless pilgrims before me, fills me with awe and gratitude. I know the path will test me—it always does—but that challenge is part of its grace. Every climb, every ache, every moment of wonder reminds me why the Camino is never just a “walk”, but a pilgrimage of the soul.