People often share photos of beautiful cathedrals, breathtaking scenery, and profound spiritual moments from their travels. Those things certainly happened on our trip to Spain. But what often gets left out are the bloopers—the moments that had us shaking our heads, laughing at ourselves, and wondering how we managed to survive.
Now that our pilgrimage is complete, it’s time to share a few of those memorable mishaps.
Blooper #1: Jet Lag Is Not a Team Player
After arriving in Madrid, Julie and I were absolutely exhausted. We checked into our hotel, sat down for what we thought would be a brief rest, and promptly fell asleep at 6:00 p.m.
At 10:00 p.m., Julie woke up.
Not realizing what time it was, she sprang into action and started getting ready for the day.
I woke up to find her moving around the room, getting dressed, and preparing for what she thought was morning.
“Julie,” I said, “where are you going?”
Apparently, jet lag had convinced her that midnight breakfast was a perfectly reasonable concept.
Blooper #2: Weather Forecasts Are Apparently Important
Before leaving the United States, we checked the weather forecast for Spain. We felt very prepared.
What we failed to do was check the weather forecast again before beginning our first day of walking from Sarria to Portomarín.
As we stepped onto the Camino, we quickly realized we had made a mistake.
Julie and I were the only pilgrims wearing sleeveless tops and shorts.
Everyone else looked like they were preparing for a winter expedition.
Long sleeves. Jackets. Layers. Scarves.
Julie took the scarf she had packed and wrapped it around her shoulders. She was freezing.
Now, my internal thermostat tends to run a bit warmer than Julie’s. While she was contemplating hypothermia, I was merely chilly.
The other pilgrims probably assumed we were either exceptionally tough or completely clueless.
The correct answer was probably the latter.
Blooper #3: The Curious Case of the Hotel Rooms
For seven consecutive nights, hotel clerks randomly handed us room keys.
And for seven consecutive nights, I somehow ended up with the nicer room.
I’d open my door and find a queen or king bed, a spacious room, and a wonderful bathroom.
Julie would open hers and discover one or two twin beds squeezed into a room roughly the size of a broom closet.
Night after night.
Hotel after hotel.
Neither of us requested this arrangement.
At first it seemed odd.
By the fourth night, it had become comedy.
By the seventh night, we were convinced there was an international hospitality conspiracy designed specifically to annoy Julie.
To her credit, she handled it with remarkable grace.
Blooper #4: The Ice Block Incident
One evening my knees were particularly unhappy after a long day on the trail.
I asked the hotel manager if I could get some ice.
Simple request, right?
A few minutes later, he proudly returned carrying what can only be described as a glacier.
It was approximately a 12-by-12-inch block of solid ice.
Not ice cubes.
Not a bag of ice.
A block.
A giant frozen cube apparently intended for chilling an entire side of beef.
I stared at it.
The manager stared at me.
I stared at my knees.
My knees stared back.
How exactly was I supposed to ice two sore knees with something better suited for sculpting a polar bear?
To this day, I still have questions.
Blooper #5: The Shower Door Attack
Our first morning in Madrid seemed perfectly normal.
I got up, took a shower, and everything worked exactly as intended.
Then Julie went in.
Moments later, there was a crash.
The entire shower door fell down on her.
Not part of the door.
Not a hinge.
The entire door.
Fortunately, nobody was hurt.
After recovering from the shock—and perhaps a little laughter—the hotel graciously moved us to a different room for the remainder of our stay.
Needless to say, every shower after that was approached with a healthy amount of caution.
Blooper #6: The Great Toledo Train Station Sprint
On our way to Toledo, we arrived at Madrid’s train station feeling confident.
That confidence lasted about five minutes.
The departure board indicated our train would leave from Platform 10.
Easy enough.
We found Platform 10 on the second level and headed there.
Our electronic tickets refused to open the gate.
Rather than viewing this as a warning sign, we simply slipped through behind another traveler.
What could possibly go wrong?
Our train was scheduled to depart at 10:15.
At 10:07, a train arrived and then departed.
We looked at each other.
“Was that our train?”
Panic began to set in.
We asked a security officer.
He informed us—and another equally confused couple from Australia trying to get to Toledo—that we were in the wrong place.
Not the wrong platform.
The wrong level.
There was another Platform 10.
Somewhere else entirely.
With only minutes before departure, we began what can only be described as an Olympic event.
Julie sprinted.
The Australians sprinted.
I attempted something that vaguely resembled sprinting.
Keep in mind that my knees were still screaming from the Camino and I could barely walk.
We raced through the station, down corridors, up ramps, and across an entirely different concourse to find the correct Platform 10.
Against all odds, we made it.
Barely.
I’m fairly certain we boarded that train using nothing but adrenaline and divine intervention.
The Best Part
Looking back, these are some of the moments that make the trip special.
The cathedrals were magnificent.
The Camino was inspiring.
The scenery was breathtaking.
But the memories that make us laugh until our sides hurt are these unexpected mishaps and misadventures.
Years from now, I may not remember every mile we walked.
But I will remember Julie trying to start her day at 10:00 p.m., freezing her way across Spain in a sleeveless shirt, dodging falling shower doors, and racing through a train station in pursuit of the correct Platform 10.
Most of all, I’ll remember sharing these adventures with a dear friend.
The Camino gave us memories, blessings, challenges, and more laughter than either of us expected.
And for that, I am grateful.
Buen Camino!
Debby’s Fitness Journey 
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