When On The Way - Camino de Santiago, Bowling Green, KY (2025)

06/30/2025

6/30/2025 Santo Domingo de La Calzada to Belorado

We walked 13 miles today. We spent a lot of great time together as a group. I walked with Matthew, Ben, and mom for a lot of the day. As well as Krista & Kristin. Krista snapped some great photos of us, including the first one of this post. t’s sad knowing that we will be done in two days. I hope to spend time on the trail with everyone these next two days. All of us got in the pool today after the hike. I will let the pictures speak for themselves but it has been a great day. We originally were going to be staying in communal living, but some of us switched into the igloos of Belorado tonight. We went to mass tonight in the city, and right now we are enjoying the beautiful weather before 18-19 miles tomorrow. Wish us luck!

Buen Camino
-John Klein

06/29/2025

6/28/2025-6/29/2025 (Logroño-Nájera-Santo Domingo de La Calzada)

In the last two days, we have walked a little over 30 miles. We did 18 from Logroño to Najera, and we did 13 today. It has been really hot in Spain, which is making things difficult. We are battling through it though. After a long day of walking to Nájera, we had a dinner together in an apartment. All 10 of us were present at some point in the night. A few of us went to mass. At the end of mass, they let us ring the bell three times to symbolize the bell in Santiago. Today the walk was great. I started with Mom & Christy. We enjoyed Camino ice creams. I spent part of the day with Ben & Kortney as well. When we made it to town, all of us were in the plaza having lunch. Even Jeff and Kathleen joined us. We are staying in a Parador tonight which is a very high quality Camino stay. We checked out a beautiful cathedral with one of the most prominent Camino legends. The Cathedral has a rooster and a hen that live inside the Cathedral. We climbed to the top of the bell tower. I didn’t realize you weren’t supposed to ring the bell, and I slammed the bell very loudly. I don’t think they were too happy about it. We met up with Eric & Barry before a bunch of us had pizza for dinner. I spent a couple hours with Jeff & Kathleen talking about our experiences on the Camino and what we look forward to in the future.

Buen Camino
-John Klein

06/28/2025

6/27/2025 Los Arcos to Logroño

We walked 17 miles from Los Arcos to Logroño. It has been very hot in Spain, and this has made the walking very difficult. Everyone walked today, but some of us started in Viana to make it shorter. Kristin, Krista, and I started walking from Los Arcos together. It’s really nice when you find a good rhythm on the Camino with someone or a group. We walked all the way to Logroño together, which was a lot of fun. We hit mile 100 together, and we celebrated with an epson salt bath for our feet. Alright story time. The previous year in Logroño with Eric & Barry. There was this really cute girl who was working the bar. We had ordered a bunch of tapas, and one of them was a burger. The pick for the burger had a heart on it. So, before we left I walked up and gave her a chicken tender with the pick in it. Super romantic I know. We had been talking a good bit throughout the night, but it was her place of work. So, I didn’t want to disturb her. We left, but later when I went back to the bar with some pilgrims she had said something about how I didn’t say goodbye. So, I got her number. When on the Camino you are constantly moving, so getting to know locals can be great. However, you leave the next day. Anyways I’ve always wanted to go on a date here in Spain with a local, so last night we went on a date together. I had reached out to her earlier in the year, and she had said she didn’t think she would be in Logroño for the Camino dates. When I reached out last week, she said she would be in town. I really love the city of Logroño too, so it felt like a great place. Ben, Matthew, my date, and I went to play Padel. I had made a reservation, but at the wrong the club. The club had the exact same name, but was on the other side of Spain. The club in Logroño was fully booked, so we had to hit the road. She was super cool about it, and we walked around the city before going out to dinner. It was really nice to talk over dinner and really get to hear her perspective on the country of Spain. When you travel somewhere you only see it from a certain lense. Who knows if our paths will cross again. We will see.

Buen Camino
-John Klein

06/27/2025

6/26/27 Estella to Los Arcos

We walked around 13 miles to Los Arcos. We all met up early in the day on the trail randomly. We had breakfast together before heading to the wine fountain. Right before the wine fountain, there is a blacksmith shop. This man creates beautiful artwork through welding different types of materials. After admiring his shop, we went to the wine fountain. I’m not sure how many there are in the world, but there can’t be that many. The Camino split up into two paths today. We split evenly between the paths. It’s the first day I spent walking with Ben and Matthew. It’s always nice to spend time with them. Back home the three of us, Dad, and my childhood friend Parker play csgo (video game). The three of us were strategizing about how we can be better when we return to the server. It was pretty hilarious to be talking about it on the Camino, but it reminded me of home. The Priests joined us for lunch outside this small bar/cafe. When the trails met up, we met Claire and Kortney. Before Los Arcos, we stopped at a food truck. A young woman working the truck was from Nashville, and she would meet her long distance boyfriend in Bowling Green sometimes. Ben, Matthew, and I discussed what a great night would be in BG. I recommended Geno’s into Ice Skating in the winter into Gad’s. The seven of us walked into Los Arcos. Matthew and I enjoyed a couple games of chess under the beautiful church in the center of the town. I found it funny because the year before bulls were running around wildly in the same plaza. This has been my first Camino where I have been going to mass almost every day, and I absolutely love it. The more I go, the more I’m understanding the Spanish. Additionally, on the day before, Leslie led the rosary when I was on trail with her. I thought it was a great way to worship God on the Camino. A lot of times when I’m trudging a long I turn on music, but I’m hoping to switch to the habit of praying the rosary. Also, the church in Los Arcos is up there with the best of them. Which, says a lot. Our family had dinner with the priests and spent a little time afterwards before heading back for the night.

Buen Camino
-John Klein

06/26/2025

6/25/2026 (Puenta La Reigna to Estella)

I rolled out of bed a bit later, and hit the rode at about 9. About a mile in, I saw the Priests on the trail. I walked with them for the entire day which was really nice. It had been my first time the three of us had walked together. We talked about a lot during our time together. After couple towns in I past by a shop that I have been going to for a few years. The Owen of the bar didn’t recognize me at first, but after I showed him pictures of us from years past it jogged his memory. Besides running a bar/shop, he was a beekeeper. I bought a big jar of honey to support his shop. This was not a smart idea. I had to carry the honey for the next 5-6 miles. The honey was pretty good, but it made the side of my pack a bit sticky. At one point, Ava, Leslie, and I got stuck in a little thunderstorm. We camped out in a tunnel for about 15 minutes before making it into town. The three of us grabbed lunch at this really nice cafe. After lunch and getting settled into our hotel. I went out for a little walk around the town before joining a few other pilgrims for the mass. The mass was incredible, and they were doing the benediction. But, the benediction was similar yet different than the way we do it. It was religiously moving. There were several of the locals who were in tears after the ritual. A group of 10-11 of us went to dinner in the plaza after including Francois and Claudinha. I played soccer in the plaza while we waited for our food. When we returned to the hotel, the fire alarm was going off. It went off for a pretty long time. The group search around town looking for something to do, but the bar I recommended was closed. Ben, Matthew, Ava, and I stayed out a bit later at this nice outdoor area with some other pilgrims. I’ve become close friends with Armen from California, and it was nice to see him last night too!

Buen Camino
-John Klein

06/24/2025

6/24/2025 from Claire Klein

Today, we hiked 14 miles from Pamplona to Puenta La Reigna. We walked through city and out to the countryside. The gold wheat fields had us taking many pictures. We were exposed to the sun most of the day. Our first stop about 3 miles into our walk we visited another very old church. It’s very peaceful and nice to kneel in silence as we pray and reflect on our days here. We had a treat in a local shop and performed some blister repair on Ava. The path lead to a very steep incline to the Alto de Perdón, Mount of Forgiveness. It is said that you give your burdens up as you walk up the hill. It was scorching hot in the sun as we were mostly exposed to the elements today. We were happy to reach our destination to relax in some air condition. We attended them the Pilgrims’ mass at the cathedral in Punta de La Reigna followed by dinner.

06/23/2025

6/23/2025 (Urdaniz to Pamplona)

When I woke up this morning, everyone was gone besides Ben. Matthew and I used a couch and some lawn furniture to make a queen size bed that we shared. I slept great though. I didn’t even hear anyone leave in the morning. Jesus, Ben, and I talked over breakfast. Jesus’ place is a beautiful Camino stop. Not only is the place really great, but Jesus runs it from his heart. I will miss you Jesus. Until next time. Ben left a little before me, but I caught up to him, Krista, & Christy and few miles in. I carried on hiking through the day solo until I came upon a bridge where people were jumping off. I’ve never jumped off a bridge before, so of course I had to do it. After several jumps going feet first, I decided to try to do a backflip. Ben had just showed up. I posted the backflip video. If you haven’t seen it, don’t worry about checking it out. My form was great. The policia showed up to end the party, and I continued on. I made two good friends who were local to the area. I passed Christy & Krista who were making friends with an Italian woman on the trail. Besides that, I walked solo besides the last 2-3 miles with Ben. I went to play a Padel match with Nicolás who I played Fronton with in Urdaníz last night. I’m really getting the hang of this Padel thing. There’s still a lot of work to be done, but I’m getting there. Nicholás and I ran into Kortney and Ben in the square. Kortney, Ava, Leslie, Ben, Madre, and I enjoyed dinner with Francois and Claudina. Many of us enjoyed ice cream tonight. Including some of us who got ice cream twice. At one point my ice cream fell off the cone, and I had to catch it in my hand. It’s a fun time to be on the Camino. We have a tough day tomorrow, and I’m looking forward to the challenge.

Buen Camino
-John Klein

06/22/2025

6/22/2025 (Roncesvalles to Urdaniz)

Today we walked around 17 miles to the hostel that Jesus runs. It was a really tough day. Also, a lot of these photos are the favorite photos of people in the group from their day hiking today. I walked the majority of the day with Ben Klein, but spent a good amount of time walking with Christy, Kristin, Krista, Ava, Leslie, & Matthew. It’s been really great to spend time with everyone and catch up with how they are doing and feeling. Ben, Krista, Kristin, Ava, Leslie, Christy and I had lunch together. It was the best pizza I have had in a long time. I reached Zubiri with Ben , and we both got into the river. Krista & Kristin were there, and the Priest’s joined us too. Then, the mayor of the Camino (Matthew Klein) came out of nowhere. We made our way to Jesus’ after the river. Matthew and I got all the way into the pool, but everyone was hanging out by the pool at some point. Dinner was really special tonight. We all went around discussing one thing we loved about the Camino and what we look forward to in the future. The conversation was really raw. It can be tough to have those conversations, but being able to have them and facilitate them needs to happen at some point I believe. Additionally, we had a couple from Virginia that fell right into our fold perfectly. They both were Spanish professors, and it allowed us to hear from Jesus about why he started his hostel. And to top it all off we celebrated Cklein & Dklein’s 29th year anniversary. Then, Madre insisted that I go up to check out these kids playing “fronton”, a Spanish sport played in the towns. Kortney joined us too, and the kids were so nice. I played with them for at least over an hour before heading back to the hostel. What a great day!

Buen Camino
-John Klein

06/21/2025

6/21/2025 St.Jean Pied du Port->Roncesvalles

Today we crossed over the Pyrenees Mountains. We woke up at around 5:45 to both alarm clocks and roosters. We hit the road pretty early. The Pyrenees Mountains are always very humbling. It’s always straight up. In total we went up around 3,300 ft before coming back down around 1,500 feet@and 18 miles. There was a really good mix of mingling and community building within the group. All of us enjoyed breakfast at Orisson about 4 miles into the day. I walked with pretty much everyone today minus Matthew. He’s the roadrunner. We met people from Brasil, Sweden, New Zealand, Croatia, Taiwan, and many other places. We saw plenty of horses, cows, & sheep throughout the day. Christy and I walked through a handful of horses that were gathered on the Camino. Ben, Madre (Claire Katchak Klein), Leslie, and Ava took a detour and ended up saving someone who was really struggling. Ben carried his pack for over two hours I heard. He’s the biggest dawg. When we made it into town we enjoyed a really late lunch before some of us went to mass. The mass was absolutely beautiful with an incredible choir. After the service, the choir had a service. All the songs were in Spanish besides “I can’t help falling in love with you.” Everyone made it today, but it didn’t come without some difficulty. We are all enjoying some rest before heading out tomorrow to Jesus’ place. Completing today’s feat is incredibly difficult and it means that we are all capable of what is to come.

Buen Camino
-John Klein

06/20/2025

6/20/2025 Pamplona to St. Jean Pied du Port

Today has been an incredible day. We woke up and went to the church in Pamplona. It amazes me each time I enter it. Afterwards we went to the Camino store to buy poles before hopping on the bus. The shop was supposed to be opened at around 9, but the lady showed up at around 9:15-9:20. We cut it close, but we made it after buying poles and seeing the running of the bulls monument. After arriving in St. Jean, we went to get our Camino credentials. Then, we went to the top of the city to overlook St. Jean. We had lunch and explored the city for a bit. Matthew, Ben, and I played soccer and basketball before we got into the river that runs through the town. The majority of the group met us there. Almost all of us got in the river. Matthew, Ben, and I floated down the river before swimming back. A few of us went to the mass in the evening. The church was beautiful. The service was in French, but Catholic masses are universal. Afterwards we went for pizza which was really good. The pizza had an egg in the middle of it, which was interesting. The French albergue owners invited us down to have a drink with them which was a ton of fun. I’m beating Matthew 2-1 in the chess series. Tomorrow we go over a mountain! It will be great.

Buen Camino
-John Klein

06/19/2025

We are back! We have a very exciting journey in front of us. We will be doing close to 200 miles from St. Jean Pied du Port to Burgos. Traveling to the Camino is inconvenient, but we tried to make the most of it. Getting out of the Barcelona airport was a bit tricky, but eventually everyone made it out alive. Christian, Sergio, & Danny gave us a tour of Barcelona. We saw La Sagrada Familia, two overlooks of the city, Christopher Columbus’ monument, the Olympic stadium from the 1992 summer Olympics in Barcelona, and more. Before our train ride, we stopped for lunch close to the station. We were in a bit of a hurry, but we managed to have a meal before getting on the train. On the four hour train ride, the A/C broke in the train car. It’s a tough day to travel to the Camino apparently. After arriving to the train station in Pamplona, we walked through the town walls into the city. Before getting to the hotel, there was a church that a few of us stopped in. Madre said it was really nice. We split up for dinner. The six of us who went into the city couldn’t find a restaurant with anywhere to sit. Ben and I split off to Bar Gaucho. We stood at the bar, but enjoyed octopus, duck, and another tapas or two. Overall, today has been great. How can you complain when you are in Spain, but there were plenty of bumpy moments. I think it’s natural on long travel days. It was really nice to spend more time with the group, and I’m very excited for everyone’s Camino. Tomorrow, we head to St. Jean Pied du Port and the next day we will start walking.

Buen Camino
-John Klein

06/15/2025

6/14/2025-6/15/2025

We wrapped up our Camino trip by celebrating birthday in Madrid last night. The restaurant was really nice, and it was nice to celebrate Laura. We went back and rolled through some of her favorite things she did this past year, and what she hopes to do this upcoming year. In the Klein household, we have different birthday traditions from what I would say are standard. We like to look back at the memories from the past year, we all discuss our favorite things about the birthday person, and Gammy makes a 30 question quiz about the birthday person. Having that dinner last night and trying to implement some of the traditions I am used to when celebrating birthdays was a nice reminder of home. There was no quiz though, because Gammy was missing in action. It was a great way to cap off our Camino journey. For me, traveling to end of the world was very special. It had been four years since I had last went. Sharing that with Mark, Laura, and Tucker was awesome. Thank you to Mark, Laura, and Tucker for making that Camino special. The only picture I have from yesterday is us at dinner.

This morning I flew to Rome. Manuel picked me up at the airport at around noon. Later in the evening, we went to the Italy Major Padel finals. Some of you may not know about Padel. It’s a hybrid of tennis and racquetball I would say. The Italy major is like the Wimbledon of Padel. To see the finals would be like watching Federer play Nadal or Djokovic playing Alcaraz in the finals of Wimbledon. The game was really fun to watch and the atmosphere was great. I made a couple friend from the South of Italy who I hope to help them out a bit with their plans to travel to the U.S.A next year. Also, I met a couple of Manuel’s friends from Rome. One of them, Giulio was doing his best to make conversation with me even though he could’ve just spoke in Italian with the others. We talked for about 10-15 minutes, and then we all agreed to go get ice cream. I’ve never been one for motorcycles or scooters, but when in Rome I guess. Giulio let me ride on the back of his scooter/bike through the streets of Rome which I thought was awesome.

Buen Camino
-John Klein

When On The Way - Camino de Santiago

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