Beginning in the province of Navarre in the city of Pamplona, we rode northwest passing through the provinces of Guipuzcoa, Cantabria, and the gorgeous coastal towns of Asturias, before continuing into Galicia, tracing the coast west then south, all the way down to Finisterre, then cutting back east to the interior to go to Santiago de Compostela.
From there we turned southwest back to the coast and continued all the way down to the town of A Praia, which is separated from Portugal by a narrow channel at the Portuguese border. Then, in just two days, we crossed the entire distance back east through the interior of Spain, along the traditional route of the Camino de Santiago, completing a giant loop upon arrival at Pamplona.
Crossing all these different provinces in such a short amount of time — we never slept in the same town twice — was an experience in itself. Along the way, I saw a variety of landscapes and cultural sites that genuinely surprised me — and crossing from one province to another felt at times like entering another country.
Traveling across the Spanish countryside has been a dream of mine ever since I saw the movie The Way. This movie has inspired thousands of travelers of all ages to travel to northern Spain to attempt the famous Camino de Santiago.
My plan was simple: Make no plans or bookings whatsoever and see what happens. I hoped to make local friends and let them show me around. I’d never done that before — last year, I had planned for months before embarking on my 80-day “mini-retirement.”
My no-plan worked beautifully: I ended up getting an invitation from Julia, whom I met in Navarra, to join her on a road trip she’d been planning. There would be dramatic mountain ranges, quaint coastal towns, loads of dramatic cliffs by the sea, and sun-drenched beaches. Needless to say, claro que sí, I joined her.
Photo: Author
With Julia at the wheel of her trusty VW Polo, I was treated to as unique a travel experience as I could have hoped to get. I just had to sit back (for hours… and hours… and hours…) and enjoy the scenery.
Now you can join us, minus the butt-numbing hassle of sitting in a car for most of the day for nine days straight.
GEAR NOTES:
I shot with a lightweight, relatively minimalist setup this entire trip. My entire shooting kit consisted of:
Any questions about the above? Leave a comment. 