Yo hablo solo un poco de español. The major part of my preparations for the Camino de Santiago have been physical training and acquiring gear. But to help make the journey even better, I’ve been trying to learn at least a little Spanish. Occasionally using the DuoLingo app is helpful…that is, if you remember to use it regularly. I’ll be downloading a ‘Spanish on tape’ book to take with me while I walk. I’ll have plenty of time, so why not try learn something new along the way? 🙂

A few months ago I saw that one of the local American Pilgrims was offering to teach a Spanish class. He is a retired Spanish teacher with Camino experience and the class would be geared toward words and phrases that would be helpful when walking.

It’s a six week course and is based off the material in the book Camino Lingo. As they speak Castilian along The Way, we’re getting used to pronouncing words with a TH sound. Each week, a handful of us sit around our instructor’s table working on the next chapter from the book. We take a break for refreshments and talk of our upcoming treks. Last night even included a homemade Tarte de Santiago. Very tasty!

At the end of each class, we sing songs commonly sung in Alburgues along the Camino. While my Spanish is still very limited, these classes have been a great experience and a big help in my preparations.