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The first part of our camino started in Leon, and the rest is history. Check out the details of our first week until we reached Ponferrada with our baby
This is not your usual itinerary, normal people that walk without a baby would do this stretch in 3-4 days. For us it was also an adjustment period to learn how the camino works and how we work on the camino. The route was the same, but we did more stops. A lot of places were still closed until the start of the season. We had cold and warm, rain and even snow! All of it in April. We learned on our skin that the weather is unpredictable (and that we didn't pack enough warm clothes). The goal of this post is to show you our route, and to tell your about our favorite places along that route. We hope you'll find it informative!
Our journey
Day 1 - Leon - Villadangos del Paramo 24km
Day 2 - Villadangos del Paramo - Hospital de Orbigo 12km
Day 3 - Hospital de Orbigo - Astorga 16km
Day 4 - Astorga - Santa Catalina de Somoza 10.4km
Day 5 - Santa Catalina de Somoza - Foncebadon 16.7km
Day 6 - Foncebadon - El Acebo 11.7km
Day 7 - El Acebo - Ponferrada 15.5km
The baby
This part was about getting to know everything. How much can we walk? How often do we have to stop? To feed? To play? How will he be with other people? How will he be in the carrier? How will he sleep in the carrier? What about a room full of people? Everything turned out well, our son ate and slept and was happy. He was a happiness charger, ours and everyone else we met.
Highlights
Asociacion de Amigos del Camino de Santiago de Leon - If you start your camino in Leon, this is the place to get your credentials and some advice for the road. The people were so nice to us, not to mention how excited they were to see a baby.
Horno de Leon - Just before we walked out of Leon we stopped for a lunch in this bakery. Little that we knew, it was the best bakery we visited in our whole joirney
Albergue de Peregrinos Municipal de Villadangos del Paramo - Our first Albergue. Here we met most of our camino friends that we stayed in touch with during the travel. Here we also learned what we expect from a hospitalero, and that we can't be sleeping in
El Jardin del Alma - A paradise in the middle of nowhere. A resting point for the pilgrims that offers coffee, food and shade. Run by other pilgrims and based on donations. I'm still remembering how much happiness they brought into my life. Follow them on Istagram @no_viajo_solo
Donativo La Boheme Santa Catalina - One of the best experiences we had in an
Albergue. It's a private donativo run by a French guy named David. We had community dinner and a lot of nice memories. The spirit of the camino is strong in this one
Albergue parroquial Domus Dei - An amazing albergue in Foncebadon with an even more amazing host. Great experience, but beware it gets cold at night
Cruz de Ferro - The cross where you leave your stone with your worries and carry on
Final thoughts
Oh what an eventful week our first week has been. We made a lot of friends and got a hold of what the camino is. We walked on the camino from Leon to Ponferrada, more than 100km, with our baby. The excitement was in the air, and the best part was that it was just the beginning.
Do you have better highlights in mind? Have we missed anything? Let us know
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