Brand-new season of the Spanish for the Camino podcast.
I couldn’t think of a better way to do it than with a guest with ample Camino experience.
Meet Rebecca Weston: originally from the U.S., now living in Villaviciosa, Asturias, right on the Camino del Norte. Rebecca has walked many routes over the years and even helps others plan their own pilgrimages.
Discovering the Camino
In our chat, Rebecca shared how she first discovered the Camino back in 2000 through a book by actress Shirley MacLaine. That piqued her interest but she didn’t actually walk until 2012.
Back then, she had no idea there were other routes or even that you could continue to Finisterre, so for her first pilgrimage she walked the Camino Francés all the way from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port to Santiago.
Things have changed a lot since 2012. Rebecca described how the Camino Francés has become much busier, with more albergues, cafés, and international pilgrims every year. That’s one reason she now prefers the quieter routes, like the Camino Inglés and especially the Camino de Invierno, where she once met only a handful of fellow pilgrims over two weeks.
Feeling nervous about walking the Camino?
When I asked Rebecca what advice she’d give to someone considering the Camino but feeling nervous, her answer was simple: if the Camino is calling you, listen to that feeling and go for it. Don’t overthink it. And instead of drowning in online information, try to talk to someone who’s walked it in real life over a coffee or even on a video call.
Rebecca herself felt called to walk the Camino all those years ago. At the time, she didn’t know why. She just knew she had to walk. So she did. And the rest is history, as they say.
Do you need Spanish on the Camino?
We also talked about language. Rebecca didn’t speak Spanish at all on her first Camino. She knew French, and that was helpful. But when she decided to go back to the Camino she started learning a few key phrases, to help her with basic daily interactions like finding a bed. That was enough for her to notice a huge difference in how people responded to her.
One of her favorite memories is from an albergue where the hospitalera was thrilled that Rebecca tried to speak Spanish and helped translate for other pilgrims who couldn’t speak a word of Spanish. Thanks to that, she and her father were treated to coffee before setting out very early the next morning, before coffee was normally available, something that probably wouldn’t have happened otherwise.
By 2021, she began studying seriously, and now, after four and a half years living in Spain, she can give her first interview entirely in Spanish!
To wrap up, Rebecca reminded us that there’s no single “right way” to do the Camino. Each pilgrim’s journey is unique, and that’s the beauty of it.
If you’d like to connect with Rebecca, you can find her at thecaminocalls.com where she shares resources and interviews about the Camino.
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