Dispatches - 31 August 2025 - Back in Madrid and Running with the Bulls

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- Weekly Dispatch

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Weekly Dispatch

It feels like the Camino de Santiago was a lifetime ago. This has been the slowest busy week I've had in a long time. I haven't done much, but I sure have lost a lot of time not doing it.

The week started with a tour of Santiago de Compostela. I intentionally took a few days off to recover, but I took a day to get out and see the city I had spent more than a month working towards. My first stop was the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. This was the busiest cathedral I have ever been two except for the Vatican. Early in the morning, there were few pilgrims in the square or inside, as most of them were still walking, but tour groups were everywhere. Not small ones, either, but several groups of twenty or thirty people in all different languages covered main plaza opposite the cathedral's Romanesque facade. One by one, these groups entered the cathedral through the free entrance. Now, I don't begrudge people taking an organised tour of a city, nor to I begrudge those tours from taking people inside famous sites; however, there were so many people that visiting the cathedral's interior was a disappointment. The staff was constantly making announcements of "Silencio, por favor," and there was a long, single-file queue that wrapped around the main altar and retablo that made getting descent pictures impossible.

Why the long queue? To see the relics of Saint James the Greater that were housed under the altar. These relics were the entire point of the Camino de Santiago, and I wasn't going to miss them. So, I stood in the long line to get my ten seconds of time with them. I didn't have the time to sit and marvel at what I saw like I did with Philip's and John's tombs in Turkey; all I got was a quick snap on my phone as the line filed past in the narrow walkway before exiting out the opposite side.

I had read online that many pilgrims were disappointed in their culminating experience at Santiago. I didn't understand it until that moment. For those who had been walking a month or more, seeing the remains of James was supposed to be this profound religious experience. Instead, it was a tightly managed check-the-block site. The cathedral staff gave every visitor the same thought, be they locals, tourists, or pilgrims. That irked many pilgrims, and filing past the shiny silver box which held James' remains, I understood why.

On top of that, backpacks were not allowed in the cathedral, meaning that pilgrims couldn't finish their journey with James. Instead, they finished at the cathedral, went to their hostel or hotel to drop their bags, and then returned. That wasn't what they envisioned for their pilgrimage. Not being one for crowds, I didn't mind coming back early the next morning, but I, too, questioned how it was all handled and managed.

After a few days in Santiago de Compostela, I took a midnight flight to Madrid. I had intended to spend this time relaxing and writing, but that did not happen. Instead, I took the metro an hour one-way each day to San Sebastian de los Reyes, suburb of Madrid, to partake in my dangerous obsession: running with the bulls. The second-largest encierros in Spain were on, and there was no way I was going to miss the opportunity to add five more runs to my resume. And run I did, meeting Americans, Scots, and Brits while I was there (not to mention a few interactions with the police who weren't the biggest fan of a guiri tarting at the beginning of the route). These encierros were fun, but the fact that they were so far out from reasonably-priced accommodation meant they were somewhat of a hassle and, therefore, not my favourite.

I also attended a corrida de rejones (horse-mounted bullfight) at Madrid's Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas. I won't get into the details here, but it was easily the worst rejoneo I have ever watched. This was one of those bullfights the antitaurinos point to as the reason the practice should be banned, and the kind that, if it was your first, would turn you off from bullfighting from the beginning. I was thoroughly disappointed in the crowd, the rejoneadores, and even the bulls (well, the ranch, not so much the individual bulls). But being an aficionado means taking the corrida in all its forms and performances. Every performance art has its bad days, and I can't condemn an entire cultural practice because of one bad night.

I am ready to be in Sevilla, though. My time and money have felt out of my control this week in Madrid, and it is not a comfortable feeling. I know that I chose to make the inconvenient trek to run with the bulls everyday, but that doesn't change the way I feel. In Sevilla, I will be back on my own schedule everyday, writing, editing videos, and looking ahead to the next leg in Turkey.

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Join the Adventure! I need travel partners!

I have two guided treks coming up later this year, each less than two weeks. I am seeking one, ONE, additional person to join me on each of these unique excursions. I promise you; they will be experiences like no other! (Ok, I put the emphasis on one additional person, but to be honest, I’m open to more if we can make it work!)

Zagros Mountain Trail – 15-29 November 2025 - $2500

This trail is a historic trade route through the Kurdish mountainside. The original route travelled from Iran, through Iraq, and into Turkey, but has long since fallen away since modern technology and roads have taken over moving goods, services, and people across countries. In Iraq, however, a private organisation is restoring the trade route to be a hiking trail. This trek will cross the majority of the trail, starting and ending in Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan. The price is all-inclusive (including airport transfer and English-speaking guide), except for flights, visas, and tips. Contact me if you are interested, and I can send you more details.

If you want to go, but are (understandably) concerned about going to Iraq as a tourist, shoot me a message and we can talk. I went to Iraqi Kurdistan as a tourist in December 2023, and it was beyond safe. While Iraq as a whole has a dangerous reputation, the semi-autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan is wholly different from Federal Iraq. It has its own security forces, visa regime, and political situation. Is the risk there? Sure, but I’d much rather walk around Erbil than Chicago.

Sahara/Atlas Trek – 12-24 December 2025 - €2340 + €69 Booking Fee

This trek is a bespoke adventure put together especially for me. We will start and end in Marrakech, a beautiful city that is stereotypical of the Middle East and North Africa. From there, we will take transportation out to the desert and the mountains for wonderful hikes and beautiful views. We will occasionally take transportation to new areas, as the Atlas Mountains are the barrier between the desert and the rest of the country. The point of this trek is to explore Morocco’s pre-modern history and culture, including nights in Berber camps, former military outposts, and a few climbs up mountains. The price is mostly-inclusive (welcome to Morocco), with a few meals at the beginning and end on our own and tips excluded.

I COULD REALLY USE A PARTNER ON THIS ONE. To do this trek as a solo traveller is going to be expensive. While I am going either way, even just one person going will SIGNIFICANTLY reduce the strain on the relationship between me and my bank account! If it entices you more, I will be flying to Madrid, Spain, on 24 December to enjoy Christmas and New Year’s in one of my favourite cities, so I can play tour guide if you want! Contact me if you are interested, and I can send you more details.

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Check out this week's video on YouTube!

Wayfarer Extra: The Packing Process | Getting My Packs Ready for 18 Months on the Road

And check out these videos from The Great Gallivanting!

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