Playa de las Catedrales

Beach of the Cathedrals in Galicia, Spain, is famous for its’ stunning, cathedral-like rock formations, arches and caves carved by the Cantabrian sea and wind.

This beach is best viewed at low tide when you can walk beneath the arches; also, the beach disappears at high tide.

Location:

This officially designated Natural Monument is in Ribadeo, Lugo in the region of Galicia, on Spain’s northwest coast. It is a 1,300 meter stretch of coastline.

Africa can wait; Morocco & Tunisia are next on my bucket-list and they’ll remain there because there’s just something about Galicia.

I’ve returned to this specific region of Spain so many times for so many reasons and now I just found another one.

This is exactly what I need to hike to complete the Camino del Norte in Galicia:

Ribadeo to Lourenza (27km)

Lourenza to Gontan (20km)

Gontan to Vilalba (22km)

Vilalba to Baamonde (19km)

Baamonde to Miraz (15km)

Miraz to Sobrado dos Moxes (25km)

Sobrado dos Moxes to Arzua (22km)

This life-sized bronze statue is an optical illusion: from one angle it appears to be a weary pilgrim resting, from another perspective, the figure transforms into an angel.

Dia de San Juan

The Camino del Norte passes through several regions, each offering unique landscapes, cultural heritage, and varied terrains:

Basque Country

Begins in Irún, passes through San Sebastián and Deba, and heads inland briefly to Bilbao before hugging the coast again. ~225 km 

Cantabria

Enters near Castro Urdiales and passes through Laredo, Santander, and Santillana Del Mar. ~160 km

Asturias

Llanes through Ribadesella, Villaviciosa, and Gijón, before reaching Avilés. ~260 km

Galicia

Ribadeo, moving inland through Mondoñedo and Arzúa, where it merges with the Camino Francés to reach Santiago de Compostela. ~180 km 

Wednesday night in Santillana del Mar, Spain I met my first New Mexican pilgrim on the Camino.

She sat across from me at the communal dinner at the convent. I had not eaten a pilgrims meal on this whole Camino until that night; it’s almost like we had to meet.

A woman sitting to my right asked where we were from. Everything after that was eerily similar about us.

This is where it gets loco:

Both of us are about the same age

Both of us work in education

Both of us are divorced

Both of us were born in April

Both of our fathers were redheads

Both of us have a son that recently graduated from high school

Both of us were wearing dresses

Both of us have long, brown hair

Both of us raved about NM food (specifically the chile)

Both of us have one grey gato

Both of us repeatedly used the hot sauce at the table to add fire to our food

Both of us were very interested in tasting Basque Burnt Cheesecake

Both of us stayed at the Cats Hostel in San Sebastián just days apart (even though there are literally thousands of places to sleep in San Sebastián)

I mentioned a certain pilgrim (Egle from Lithuania) because she gave me great advice; she had met her and spoke with her too, weeks ago just like I did

My brother’s name is Charles, her brother’s name is Charlie

The more we talked, the more similarities arose. After dinner, we parted ways and another pilgrim asked me if her and I were related.

This beautiful 18th century sculpture stands guard over the Comillas cemetery with the sea in the background.

Last year while in La Spezia, Italy, my Z-Coil shoes began to fall apart. I needed super glue to fix the tread. I asked a hotel owner for help. He sent me on the hunt for “colla” which is how you say glue in Italian; in Italian the two l’s are both pronounced so essentially I was asking complete strangers in Italy where I could find some “cola.”

I thought that was just a funny isolated incident until I was in Santander, Spain on Monday and I needed a new pair of hiking sandals. I specifically wanted a new pair of Teva’s so I used my phone to find a pair near me. This is the store that I had to hunt down to buy my hiking sandals:

: )

I don’t know if it was the beautiful city, the wonderful sleeping quarters in the convent or the company of fellow peregrinos (from around the globe) but this meal was the very best I’ve had on this Camino.

Albergues are unique budget-friendly accommodations made specifically for pilgrims, cyclists and hikers/ mochileros on the Camino de Santiago.

Santoña is where the captain and owner of the boat the Santa Maria was from (remember: La Niña, La Pinta y La Santa Maria in history class.) He was also the cartographer that created the first map of the Americas.

While in Bilbao, Spain I just ate one of the best meals of my life. My fellow peregrino, Ha from Seoul, South Korea and I just ate an authentic Korean bbq dinner together.

Ha ordered 10 dishes for himself and 10 more for me. He barbecued the food in the center of the table and we soaked everything in kimchi and spices.

¿Cómo se dice delicioso en Coreano?

🇪🇸🇰🇷맛있어🇰🇷🇪🇸

정말 감사합니다

Jeongmal gamsahamnida Ilbong Ha.

These are pics before arriving at Deba and after leaving Deba. I intentionally left out pics of the city; the countryside was much more scenic.

I stayed the night in this agriturismo in Zumaia purely by luck. It’s a working farm that also accommodates guests. I paid 35 Euros but it was actually priceless : ) The two pics are the view from the top balcony of the farmhouse at 6am when I had to leave : (

Descending the mountains today the first thing I saw was the world-famous La Concha Bay of San Sebastián. For lunch I headed to the Old Town (Parte Vieja) to dive into the heart of this food Mecca for a pintxos crawl (pintxos are gourmet, bite-sized versions of tapas.)

Anthony Bourdain said “You could make the argument that there is no better place to eat in Europe than the city of San Sebastián. There are more Michelin-starred restaurants per capita here than anywhere on Earth, but even the everyday restaurants are superb. The love of food, the insistence on the very best ingredients, is fundamental to the culture and to life here.”

Well said, Anthony.

I was asked today about what exactly I’ll be doing this summer. I’m walking across Spain on the Camino de Santiago. I’m walking alone. I’m carrying what I need in a backpack. I’ll walk everyday from 5am/6am until noon and then I’ll find a room, dinner and a shower. I’ll repeat this for just over a month if all goes as planned.

Camino del Norte/Camino de la Costa

Irún,Spain to Santiago de Compostela, Spain (828 kilometers/514 miles)

The Camino del Norte route that I’ll be walking this year is considered the most beautiful and peaceful of all the caminos to Santiago de Compostela.

This camino starts in Irún near the French border and passes through the Basque Country, Cantabria, Asturias and ends in Galicia. It is roughly five weeks of hiking the northern coast of Spain along the Bay of Biscay.

This will be the second Camino that I complete; the first one was the Camino Francés in 2024. When I return, I’ll give a presentation at the Bernalillo library about how I did it.

Several of my former students from the Pueblo of Jemez invited me to celebrate their Feast Day with them today. This particular day is also known as the Pecos Feast of St. Persingula. It’s an annual feast day that combines Catholic and Native American traditions, honoring the Pueblo’s connection to the now-abandoned Pecos Pueblo. The day includes a Catholic Mass, traditional dances, other ceremonies as well as some of the best traditional homemade food I’ve ever eaten in all my travels.

I started this blog with a selfie and now I’ll end it with one.

I’m done adventuring for now.

I should land in ABQ on Friday the 25th of July, 2025.

Reykjavik is completely cat crazy; there are shops here where the whole attraction is the cat that lives there amongst the art or souvenirs and I am here for it. /ᐠ – ˕ -マ

Kattakaffihusid is Iceland’s first cat cafe. Cats here say mjá-mjá (meow in Icelandic.) ᓚᘏᗢ

I’ll spend a few days in Reykjavik then I’ll take a direct flight to Denver International Airport. I should be back in the “Land of Enchantment” by this upcoming weekend.

First things first:

I know even before landing in Reykjavik that I’m going to stand on business and eat as much phở as I can pour into my 5 foot frame. Soup here is top-tier.

Seconds:

An Icelandic-style frankfurter with crispy onions and covered in a brown mustard called pylsusinnep that comes from a place called Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur which translates to “the best hot dogs in town” does not disappoint. I know that was a mouthful… ; ) p.i.

Third place:

Sundhöll Geothermal Pools

Fourth (for the win):

Sky Lagoon

Skjol!

Skjól at Sky Lagoon means experiencing the traditions of Icelandic bathing culture.

Skjól is seven bathing steps, starting with the oceanside lagoon & cold plunge and continuing through the steps in an Icelandic turf house.

1st Step: Laug

Feel the warmth of the geothermal lagoon, complete with seemingly endless North Atlantic Ocean views at the edge of Iceland.

2nd Step: Kuldi

Immerse yourself in the coldest cold plunge, IMO the best of the best of traditional Icelandic practices.

TBH I plunged way too many times in this lil pool ; )

3rd Step: Ylur

This gorgeous sauna overlooks the horizon through a vast seaside window that is the definition of warmth and relaxation.

4th Step: Súld

A refreshing, cold mist rains down on you during this step.

5th Step: Mýkt

Next, apply Sky Lagoon’s signature body scrub (made to detoxify) which leaves you clean and glowing.

6th Step: Gufa

Let’s just say that things got steamy during this step.

7th Step: Saft

The Skjól journey concludes with a taste of Iceland, a krækiber berry elixir. Krækiberelixir is made from berries grown on the nearby lava fields, that are then turned into a drink that Icelanders have enjoyed for centuries.

Keimur Café inside of Sky Lagoon

On my last day in Italy, I visited this gem called the Starbucks Reserve Roastery Milano. Starbucks Reserve Roasteries are located in Seattle, New York, Chicago, Shanghai, Tokyo and Milan.

This is how obsessed Italians are with coffee and this is how coffee is done here. This Starbucks is more like a museum/laboratory/palace. It’s minutes from the Duomo di Milano and eons away from any Starbucks I’ve ever visited.

https://www.roastery.starbucks.it/

Ostello del Bigallo is where I’ll spend the next few days. This secluded and restored 13th century monastery is surrounded by olive trees and is located about an hour from the city, in the Florentine hills.

At 16, I visited the Galleria dell’ Accademia where Michelangelo’s David is housed but I waited almost 40 years to visit the Uffizi.

Perché Mai?

It’s known as:

Firenze in Italian

Florencia in Spanish

Florence in English

This birthplace of the Italian Renaissance is also known as:

“Città Gigliata” which translates to “Lily City” which is why the emblem of the city is the giglio fiorentino; a red lily on a white background.

Which reminds meme of something…

Palazzo Veccio

My favorite place in Cinque Terre; The Lover’s Path. After being closed for over 12 years because of landslides, it was recently opened on February 14, 2025. It’s a 1 kilometer-long path connecting Riomaggiore and Manarola.

The trail was excavated through hard rock and winds along the rock-face overhanging the sea. The history of the Via dell’ Amore began when a path was needed by railroad workers to move between Riomaggiore and Manarola during the construction of the tunnel between the two villages. The legend holds that this footpath also became a meeting place for couples from the two villages.

The five villages from East to West from La Spezia are: Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso Al Mare.

The Palombaro Lungo

This is the Palombaro Lungo in the center of town, in Matera underneath Piazza Vittorio Veneto. It is a cistern that held water for the citizens of the town for hundreds of years. It is constructed of solid pillars carved from the surrounding rock and it has a vault height of more than fifteen meters. The best description of it is: an underground water cathedral.

The last time that I was in Croatia, I was completely enamored by Dubrovnik so now I’m headed to Zagreb, the capital of the country and to Split afterwards to see how they compare to “The Pearl of the Adriatic.”

Legend has it that Ljubljana was founded by Jason, the hero of Greek mythology who stole the golden fleece from King Aeëtes and then fled aboard the Argo with his comrades, the Argonauts, across the Black Sea and up the Danube until they reached the Ljubljanica River.

You can take a boat ride from one end of the city and cross the triple bridge as well as many other bridges on the way to the other end of the city.

View from inside the castle.

This is the funicular that takes you to this castle overlooking the capital city of Ljubljana.

This was actually the goal all along; which is why I flew into Milan then headed east to Verona, then Trieste and ultimately Ljubljana in Slovenia.

This is the view of Verona from above the city: I’m currently on the Verona hop-on hop-off double decker tour bus that was waiting for me just outside of the Porta Nuova Train Station.

This is a pic of the €25 hostel that I reserved ahead of time like a grown-up. I usually book rooms on the fly so that I don’t have to go on a quest to find them; this place was a bit of a side adventure to find but worth it.

Only Prada, Dior, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Armani, Gucci and other lux brands can be found in this iconic outdoor gallery housed in a glass-covered 18th century arcade.

The best dressed people in all my travels have been from Milan. They take fashion uber-seriously in this part of the world.

I have finally returned to the most beautiful train station in the world.

What a small world we live in: As I arrived at the departures area of the ABQ Sunport, in the vehicle behind my Mom’s vehicle was a relative that I didn’t know from Cuba, NM: Jackie Sanchez.

Her parents were also dropping her off at the airport and she was headed to Chicago just like me. Needless to say, I now know a fellow traveler/prima from Shytown so now I have a reason to visit : )

Welcome to my latest travel blog. This is where I’ll keep family, friends, students and acquaintances updated about where I am and what I’m doing during the summer of 2025 (and beyond.)