A Texan on the Way – #CaminoTales

Trevor Huxmhan walked the French Way and the Finisterre Way

A few weeks ago we decided to create a directory with Blogs related to the Camino de Santiago, mainly written by international English speaking pilgrims. We thought it would be very interesting to know how this experience was seen by those who have to travel thousands of kilometres to live it. The investigation turned out to be so enriching that we decided to dig a bit more into some of these blogs.

That is how we got in contact with Trevor Huxmhan, the author of A Texan in Spain. As you may have understood by the title of his blog, Trevor is originally from Dallas (Texas, US), but he knows Spain in depth, because he travelled in this country for three years as an English teacher (he is back in the US now, and he lives in Phoenix, Arizona). We can find loads of useful information on his blog, not only about the Camino de Santiago, but also about many other hidden corners of Spain.

Table of Contents

Trevor, when did you walk the Camino de Santiago, and which route did you choose?

In June 2013 I hiked the last five days of the camino francés (starting in Sarria) and also continued on to hike the three days of the camino de Fisterra. When I lived in Santiago de Compostela, I also did some day-hikes on the camino de Fisterra from Santiago to Negreira and the last stage of the camino portugués from Padrón to Santiago.

What where your motivations to walk the Camino and why did you decided to write a blog about it?

I wanted to hike the Camino primarily for the sense of adventure I caught when I first read about the Way but also for the simple, minimalist routine you find yourself in every day: eating, walking, washing, sleeping. I am not a Catholic Christian and so I didn’t do the Camino for any sort of devotion to the Apostle St. James, but I nevertheless did want to use extended periods of time of solitude on the Way for prayer and reflection. I even turned off my cellphone for the entire duration of my Camino in order to be present not only with God and my thoughts, but also with the people nearby and the environment. It’s kind of difficult to explain the draw the Camino has on you—it’s kind of a mystical draw.

I decided to write a blog post about it because although there is so much information about the Camino out there, it’s difficult to get a concise, yet thorough, overview of what the Camino is and some practical tips on how to hike it, all in a single place.

And how did you prepare for the Camino?

Although I’m from the US, I had been living in Spain (Úbeda, Jaén) for eight months prior to my Camino, and I think that because Europe is so walkable in general, I didn’t have to intentionally train as much as I would have had to do in car-dependent America. That being said, in the month leading up to my Camino, I did go on some day-hikes to neighboring villages that were about an hour away on foot.

I mainly aimed to stay in the municipal albergues run by the Xunta de Galicia, but on the second-to-last day I did call ahead in the morning to reserve a spot at a private hostel because I knew it would be a very busy town.

Could you tell us an anecdote about your Camino?

I was initially planning on just walking the Camino solo so I could have some time to myself to reflect, pray, and take in the Camino experience. But within seconds of hopping off of the bus in Sarria, I befriended a group of Americans and Brits, half of whom were starting in Sarria like me, and I ended up spending my entire time on the Camino with this group of people, including grocery store picnics and mid-morning coffee breaks and even an end-of-the-Way dinner we cooked together in a vacation home. I still keep in touch with most of them to this day. The Camino provides when you least expect it!

Finally, best & Worst part of your Camino de Santiago?

The best part of my Camino came for me on the final few meters of the Camino, right before you pass through that tunnel by the Archbishop’s Palace in Santiago. That day, a band of bagpipe players from Asturias was marching along and playing traditional tunes. Their unique music combined with the monumental surroundings and feeling of accomplishment upon entering the Obradoiro square to really create a satisfying, emotional climax to my Camino.

But honestly the first day in Santiago de Compostela was also the worst part of my Camino because the group of friends I had hiked the Camino with scattered in all directions after the pilgrim mass was over, and because most of us didn’t have cellphone service, it was difficult to get back in touch with them for dinner. Everything was cold, rainy, and gray that day, making for a gloomy welcome into the city (in June!)—and I only had shorts and flip flops to wear in the evening! Plus, the whole atmosphere in the old town was very touristic and intense for me, a huge change from the relaxed, pilgrim-only world of other small towns I had stayed at along the Way.

We hope you found Trevor’s story as interesting as we did. From now on we will start publishing all these kind of testimonies with the hashtag #Caminotales, that you can follow on our social media: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.

For more information about the Camino de Santiago, or any other tour around Galicia region, please do not hesitate to contact us here.