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: