We think the Camino de Santiago is one of the world's best travel experiences, you may not of heard of it, it's only been popular for a thousand years or so.

In this first episode of Is This The Way we talk a little about the history of the Camino, the present day Camino, who we are and why we quit our jobs, left our home and walked 933km across Spain and why you should do it too!

This is our first podcast and the daily entries were recorded wherever we stopped as we walked the Camino so the audio may be a little variable at times as may the quality of our presentation but stick with us as we do get better as we get into the swing of it! If you're up for the ride, come along and enjoy the walk with us

Buen Camino!

Useful Links from this episode are below, if your podcast app does not let you access them directly head on over to https://isthistheway.net .

• Order Your Pilgrim Passport / Credential 
  You can pick up a passport at the pilgrim office at St Jean Pied de Port, if you'd like to be prepared in advance you can also order one online here like we did.

It’s 6.30am in St Jean Pied de Port near the Pilgrim’s Office, the sun is up and we are ready to kick off our 900+ km journey.  We follow the road through the village to find the path which leads up the Napoleon Way and across the Pyrenees.

The first day of this route was clearly meant to be a test, it's a relentless up hill climb for the first half of the day, the Refuge de Orisson appearing like a beautiful mirage at around the 8km mark with the promise of coffee and breakfast with an astounding view out over the mountains.

After climbing for most of the day, the path drops steeply for the last few kilometers into Roncesvalles.  We had some good advice from the Pilgrims Office on which rich route to take for this last section...and we completely failed to follow it!

Join us to hear how it went.

Buen Camino!

Useful Links from this episode are below, if your podcast app does not let you access them directly head on over to https://isthistheway.net .

• Village to Village Camino de Santiago Guidebook (amazon.com)
  This is the guidebook that we used, it's small and easy to carry and has great information for every stage of the Camino Frances and for the Finisterre option at the end. Includes good pointers on diversions and alternative routes that can be taken in places.
• Hotel Itzalpea (booking.com)
  Where we stayed in St Jean Pied de Port. Nice room with private bathroom and airconditioning, was clean and comfortable, staff were super friendly.  This is just outside the wall of the old town and a brief stroll to the Pilgrims Office.
• Hotel Roncesvalles (booking.com)
  This is where we stayed in Roncesvalles, they have an excellent restaurant in the building, we had a great meal and tried some local wine. Highly recommend it as a way to reward yourself for finishing day 1. Our room was a small 1 bedroom apartment with kitchen and bathroom, very comfortable. Unfortunately there is no store in town so we couldn't pick up food to cook for ourselves.
• The Way (2010)
  We mention this movie a few times in this episode and during the walk, if you want to get a (slightly dramatised) idea of Camino it's a good watch.  We watched it the night before we set off for our first day to get into the spirit of things.

We're sitting in this really quaint courtyard in Roncesvalles opposite the church, enjoying a quieter morning. It's 7:30am already before we start our walk today. It's a little bit of a slower start after the aches and pains of yesterday and it's about 22 kilometers to Zubiri today for our next stop. Supposed to be a little bit flatter, which is nice.

Today we're slightly more prepared and actually have coffee and breakfast before we set out. There are several small towns that we pass through today with plenty of opportunities for rest stops and snacks, it feels completely different to the first day, almost like we passed the test so now we get to enjoy it!

In this episode we will reveal the ultimate solution to chafing underwear and solve the mystery of the missing glasses as well as discovering the marvel that is the Tinto de Verano, so don't miss out!

Buen Camino!

Useful Links from this episode are below, if your podcast app does not let you access them directly head on over to https://isthistheway.net .

• Hotel Txantxorena (booking.com)
  Where we stayed in Zubiri, amazing old house with massive thick stone walls, hardwood floors. We had a room with private bathroom and a small balcony. No airconditioning or fan but if you keep the window shutters closed it stayed cool inside. Has a shared kitchen and lounge area with drinks available for guests in the fridge. We made sandwiches and sat out in the garden in the afternoon.
• Tinto de Verano (thespruceeats.com)
  Possibly the most important link for any episode, how to make a Tinto de Verano! We first saw some people drinking these in Zubiri on Day 2 of our walk and had them at the end of almost every day after that! To get in the mood we also have one each time we edit our recordings for the podcast, so why not get in the spirit and have one while you listen?