Urban Trekking
I’ve recently been watching some Camino de Santiago videos on YouTube, and that led me to plan some local urban treks around town to see what it’s like cruising concrete and asphalt. I did the first one this past Saturday around Cincinnati visiting all these landmarks across 20 miles:
Devou Park Overlook
Clay Wade Bailey Bridge
Paycor Stadium
Mt. Echo Overlook
Union Terminal
Ezzard Charles Statue
TQL Stadium
Music Hall
Washington Park
Fountain Square
Elsinore Arch
Cincinnati Art Museum
Mirror Lake
Krohn Conservatory
Spencer Overlook
Twin Lakes and Overlook
International Friendship Park
Yeatman’s Cove
US Bank Arena
Great American Ball Park
Smale Park
Roebling Bridge
Roebling Murals
It was, of course, sunny and hot outside, so I took plenty of time stopping for shade, grabbing cold drinks (did you know there is a Froot Loops flavored Icee?), squeezing in a nap under a tree, and generally going easy across the 8 hours that I was out there.
I stopped and enjoyed some live music at Washington Park and Fountain Square (Jazz Fest was in town), and avoided breweries that would’ve ended my day.
It was a great day and something I’ll definitely do again with some minor modifications - like starting and finishing at a brewery!!!
It also fed my curiosity about heading to the Camino and doing the Portuguese Way. That route is 174 miles from Porto, Portugal to Santiago de Compostela, Spain. Flights are reasonably priced at around $550-650, hostels (albergues) are about $20/night, and then it’s just paying for food and drink each day.
When I looked into the costs, it’s actually cheaper than taking a trip out west to say Yellowstone or Yosemite. It’s really just a matter of taking the time away and learning a couple languages to get more out of the experience.
Good thing I have a lifetime subscription to Babbel!
Seriously, I think most of the trekkers/pilgrims take 15 to 20 days to cover the route, but I’d probably plan on 11 or 12 days - 9 to do the miles and buffer days for flight hiccups and bad weather.
All in, I’d expect the cost to be around $1,700 for flights, hostels, food, and drink.
Here are some of the videos I watched: