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John Klein When On The Way

Name: John Klein When On The Way
Address: 42103, US
Telephone: +12708465012
Rating: 5

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John Klein When On The Way

Helping people experience the El Camino de Santiago across Spain.
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06/12/2024

Camino Share (My favorite pictures/moments)
“Buen Camino Peregrino”

Leading up to leaving for the Camino de Santiago, my friend said to me,” Another summer, another Camino for John Klein.” I was getting increasingly excited to board the plane to begin the journey. Before you knew it, we were on the way to the Nashville airport. And even sooner, the time on the Camino for the summer of 2024 is over. Despite being my third summer on the Camino, I learned a lot about myself in many ways. I try my best to spend time on the Camino reflecting by taking that extra breath or a minute to ponder whatever may be weighing most heavily on my mind. However, they say that sometimes the effects of the Camino don’t start until you step off the trail. Reflecting back on the Camino, I couldn’t have asked for better people to have joined me along the way. Sharing that experience with the Spader’s, Strode’s, Marsh’s, Eric, and Barry, as well as the numerous people I met from across the world, was incredibly special to me. Many laughs, heart-to-heart conversations, and new experiences were shared with the people I traveled with along the way. What makes the Camino what it is to me is the mix of building deep bonds with people from across the world while you travel across the beautiful country of Spain. How often are you in an environment surrounded by people from around the world with different perspectives and outlooks on life? It’s fascinating to me, in conjunction with building/strengthening my relationship with God, personal reflection, sanctity, and solitude that the Camino can bring at times. With every step, every meal, every new person, and every church in a small town, there always seems to be a takeaway for me.

People walking the Camino do not usually say “bye.” They typically part ways with a Buen Camino. Buen Camino is special, because it’s more than just a goodbye. It means have a nice journey/way. It means I’m not sure when or if our paths will cross again, but I hope you have a great road ahead. Christian and Iona were two of the first people I ever met on the Camino. Whenever I say goodbye to them, they always say, “Buen Camino Peregrino.” Regardless of whether or not it’s on the Camino. The manner in which they say the message or the intentions behind it when they say it to me. It always fills me with gratitude and almost a feeling of protection. I don’t have any older siblings, but it feels like two older siblings telling me they are there for me. It’s a beautiful way for them to say in three words that we are united and support each other. So, my message to everyone who has been on the Camino or not as we have wrapped up Camino 2024 is “Buen Camino Peregrino/a.”

(There will still be posts on the Camino in the future. I hope to include some of the other pilgrims' Camino experiences from this year. As well as future Camino’s 👀👀👀)

06/03/2024

Yesterday was officially our last day walking the Camino. We went from Los Arcos to Logroño which was about 18 miles. In total, the three of us covered right around 110 miles over the seven days. It has been an incredible journey and experience to get to share with Eric and Barry. There were many laughs and good times along the way. On day 7, during a break we took in Viana. There was a first communion celebration. This was practically a parade which was lead by kids and followed by a marching band. We carried onto Logroño after connecting and recharging with the Earth. We checked out Logroño which featured a beautiful church and Calle Laurel which is one of my all time favorites.

Today, we spent the day looking around Barcelona separately. I met up with Manuel who I have done two Camino’s with in the past. Later in the night, Eric, Barry, and I met up for one last meal and ice cream. It’s definitely bitter sweet being done journeying with these guys. I will miss our time on the Camino very much, and I will look forward to seeing them soon back in the great state of Kentucky.

Buen Camino!

06/01/2024

Day 6 was a very special and eventful day. We started the day by leaving Estella. In total, we did about 14 miles (17.5 for Barry). Quickly into the day, we officially crossed the 100 km mark. After grabbing breakfast, we checked out a forgery right before we made it to the wine fountain which was working. This was a nice surprise, because the hours on the weekends are different. Eric used his shell as a “cup” for his which is tradition on the Camino. After enjoying the beautiful forgery and famous Camino wine fountain, we carried on to Los Arcos. We grabbed a coffee in an upbeat cafe where I played some Pac-Man. This is one of Dan Klein’s favorites. Barry decided to add about 3.5 miles to his route by going up this huge hill to see a beautiful building on the top of it. Additionally, I went off the path for about 30-45 minutes to take a seat to ponder life a bit as I looked over the Spanish countryside. Eric and I grabbed lunch right in front of the church in Los Arcos. It felt like everyone we knew on the Camino was there. Eventually, Barry joined us from his extended route that he took.

Later that evening, we checked out the church, plus the courtyard of the church. As we were leaving, there were four kids (middle school) playing soccer. If you know me, then you know me Camino rule is that I try to play soccer any chance I can along the way. I suggested that they played 2v2, and that I would play goalie. They convinced me to go to a larger area to play. Before you knew it, we were playing 5v5. It was an incredible time. For those following along the journey, I have had tendinitis on the outside of my knee. Today has been the first “painless” day on the camino, or at least in the sense where I didn’t notice it. However, this has been stopping me from playing. Although, today felt like enough of a green light to convince me to play. Despite playing with kids 5-10 years younger, I am still quite competitive. My team ended up losing 10-8. I scored a handful of our teams goals (you would hope so🤷🏻‍♂️), and made several good stops in the net. Except their 9th goal was really soft, tipping off my hand before finding the back of the net. I wish I could have that one back. After concluding the game, I high fived or shook hands with all of the other players before they gave me a “Buen Camino.” After the game, I rejoined Eric and Barry for a great dinner in Los Arcos. Tomorrow we will carry on to Logroño.

06/01/2024

On day 5, we started in Puente la Reigna and finished in Estella. It was about at 13-14 mile day. We started the day by crossing the Queen’s bridge. The terrain for the day was easier than the other days. We stopped at Eztitsu to see my friends who run a bar/cafe where we grabbed lunch. After, I walked with a man named Dave for about an hour. Dave was 75 years old, and we discussed many things, including the relationship between our generations. It was cool to hear his perspective on it. It’s been very nice in both Camino’s to get to meet people from all places and perspectives. After the walk, we grabbed a lighter meal along the river in Estella to hold us over for dinner. Before dinner, we poked around the city, the churches, and the square. After dinner, we grabbed some ice cream before calling it a night.

05/30/2024

Day 4 we started in Pamplona and ending in Puenta La Reigna. Although, our journey was close to 17 miles, because we intentionally took a detour off the Camino. We grabbed breakfast at a little cafe after strolling through a beautiful park in Pamplona. As we ascended up a large hill, I met a nice man from Northern Spain. We talked in mostly Spanish so I could practice. We discussed many things including the Netflix series La Casa de Papel. It’s a great series that you should consider watching. After conquering the hill together with a couple Australian friends who may or may not snore very loudly. We went on to have lunch with a Canadian man, Irish man, and Dutch women. This woman from the Netherlands was hilarious, and we shared many laughs. After leaving, we made a decision to detour off the Camino to go check out a church that was built in the 11th century (+2 miles). We had an hour before the church opened, so we enjoyed time laying in the grass, stretching, and doing a small amount of yoga. I hope this makes Claire Katchak Klein happy. We made it into Puenta La Reigna where after resting for a bit we went out to dinner. While venturing through PLR we looked inside two beautiful churches. We came back to our hotel, and we talked for a little bit before calling it a night.

Buen Camino!

05/29/2024

Day 3 we journeyed on from Urdaniz onto Pamplona (10-11 miles). We enjoyed breakfast with a couple people from Ireland right along a river. As we continued, Barry took a little trip off the Camino to go and visit a church on this large hill. From the top of the church, there was a large bell that could be rung for the pilgrims and the town below to hear. We later met right inside the old castle walls of Pamplona. We had lunch in the plaza where Hemingway was known to spend a lot of time there in this particular cafe. Later in the evening, we looked around Pamplona even more. We found another very beautiful church, had dinner at Bar Gauchos, and went to a great ice cream store before calling it a night.

05/28/2024

Day 2 has been completed!!! We ventured on from Roncesvalles to Urdaniz which was about 16ish miles. One thing I really enjoyed today was that we took our time venturing from town to town. We left Roncesvalles to have breakfast at Bar Fronton in Burguete. From Burguete, we went on to Espinal where we checked out the town including a very cool church. As we went in the church, two pilgrims sang a beautiful version of Hallelujah. Eric said, that it gave him goosebumps, and I can understand why. It was very beautiful and special. We continued on to Zubiri soon after. As we came up a hill, there was a pilgrim playing beautiful songs on the “pocket trumpet.” When we finally reached Zubiri, Eric and Barry checked out the village while I took some time to stand in the river that runs along the town. Throughout the day, Eric, Barry, and I chat about many different things that occur throughout the day which keeps the walk very interesting and fun. We eventually carried on to Urdaniz to one of my favorite Camino stays Ala y Aca (if not my favorite).

I greeted Jesus with a hug, and he greeted us with an offering of a few beers on the house. This seemed like a pretty good deal in my opinion. I took a swim in the pool, as all three of us socialized with other pilgrims. We sat down for dinner later that night with great people from Ireland, Australia, and Switzerland. It was a great dinner and a time where we solved some of the worlds problems. The dinners at Ala y Aca are by far some of my favorite camino meals. It’s a great environment where you get to chat with great people from all over the world about a number of different things. After dinner, I joined Jesus and Miguel (his friend) for a beer outside. One thing I’ve learned out on the Camino is that there is so much that can be understood even if there’s a language barrier. Jesus and Miguel speak little to no English, and I speak a bit of Spanish. However, we still have great conversations. We shared a lot of laughs, stories, and commonalities between us even though I am very different in age to them, and we grew up half way across the world from each other.

Buen Camino!

05/27/2024

We began our journey today by hiking from St. Jean to Roncesvalles. In total we did about 16 miles or 26 kilometers. It’s a very tough day as we crossed the Pyrenees Mountains. We officially crossed the Pyrenees Mountains today!!! Unfortunately, it was a bit cool and rainy. We never made it above the clouds, but there were definitely a lot of great moments from today.

Towards the beginning of the day, we passed a handful of cows right along the trail side. We carried on before grabbing lunch in Orisson. Later on in the day, we turned a corner to see several horses right in front of us. It’s really neat, because you will hear the animal bells ringing. However, since we were in the clouds we were unable to see them. Eventually, we descended into Roncesvalles. This evening we poked our heads around the city, into the church, and had a great dinner. We are very excited to carry on to Urdaniz tomorrow. Another cool note of mine: one lady working in the museum/gift shop said the town population in Roncesvalles was 10-12 people at this point. It was simply mind blowing to me that a town that small had so much character to it. Including the church which was magnificent. Plus, it is the first time I’ve ever been able to enter, as it has been locked previously.

05/26/2024

Round two starts tomorrow!!! Eric, Barry, and I will start the beginning of the journey tomorrow venturing from St. Jean to Roncesvalles. We first took a look around Barcelona before going to Pamplona. We checked out the running of the bulls monument, the Cathedral which I had never gone into, the city center, and many more. Today we ventured up to St. Jean where we got our credentials, went up to the Citadel, and poked around the city.

Funny story: Some of you may know that in St. Jean I had a previous ”issue” with the innkeeper. Well, we are staying at the place again. As I went to lay down in my bed. The bed frame completely snapped. I was a bit nervous to let them know, but they were very sorry. They offered me a free breakfast.

Buen Camino!

05/22/2024

Najera to Belorado/Burgos (Day 9/10)!! These two days were each about 13-14 miles long. The terrain was not too difficult which made the walking very enjoyable. Walking into Belorado was the stopping point for the seven of us on this journey. After walking for 150 miles from St. Jean to Belorado, we have completed this journey of the first part of the camino. It has been such a pleasure and a privilege to get to come back out to the Camino again! Especially, getting to share it with these incredible people was very special. We experienced new places, met new friends, and made memories that will last a lifetime. There are a lot of aspects of the camino that make it incredibly special. The Camino provides is what we like to say, and that it has. Personally, every Camino I take I tend to acquire different information and knowledge from new situations along the Camino. I hope that all the pilgrims whether they were a member of “Team Kentucky” or not had an excellent time and will remember the Camino for a very long time.

We ventured into Burgos for the night, and tomorrow we will head back to Barcelona for the end of this journey.

On Monday, I am excited to be doing seven more days with two men from Kentucky. I would love to make some videos answering questions that people may have about the Camino or about my journey along the camino. If you have any questions about the Camino feel free to leave them below or message me.

Buen Camino!
John Klein

05/21/2024

Day 8 we journeyed on from Logroño to Najera. This was a really tough day distance wise at about 18 miles. We entered into La Rioja on day 7, which it has been nice to enter into a different region. Here are some pictures from day 8!!!

05/20/2024

Day 7!!! Torres Del Rio to Logroño was about 12 miles long. It was very nice to have a shorter day in order to prepare for today/day 8 (18 miles). It was a very peaceful day, and one of my all time favorite cities along the camino is Logroño. Nice to be back!!!

Buen Camino!

05/18/2024

Day 6! Estella to Torres Del Rio. Looking back on my past three Camino’s this has easily been on of the most special days for me personally. Our hike today was 17-18 miles which was very tough. The day started out poorly as we made it to the wine fountain. There was a lot of anticipation and excitement, but it was shut off today (maybe because it’s Saturday). Although the day started out on the wrong foot. It truly was an incredible day.

We decided to push past Los Arcos and go to Torres Del Rio. After checking out the Los Arcos Cathedral. We found out when we were going through Los Arcos that they were having a big fiesta including a running of the bulls. It was very fortunate that the stars aligned like that for us. We caught a cab back into the city to check it out!

Here were some of my highlights of the day:
-Running of the bulls
-Cathedral in Los Arcos
-Meals with everyone
- Wine Fountain (Even though it was off)
-A “Where do you Lockshield” moment

05/18/2024

Day 5! Sorry to be getting it out a little later. We journeyed from Puenta La Reigna to Estella. It was a great day for walking. I have been reminded this journey of how physically taxing the camino can be. As we left PLR, we crossed over the queen’s bridge. Also, PLR had a wonderful cathedral; however, it is not pictured here.

Funny story: Two years ago I went into a store on a hot day to have an ice cream on the camino. I took a picture with the man who was running the store. This year I showed the picture to his wife who was working yesterday, and she loved seeing that I had been through a couple years ago.

05/16/2024

Day 4!

Another day, another journey along the way. Today we went from Pamplona to Puenta La Reigna (14 miles). It has been very cool to see that each day has been very different in its own way. Day 1 we went over the Pyrenees. Day 2 we went through some more forestry. Yesterday we were alongside a river bank a lot. Today we had to ascend up this huge hill that overlooked Pamplona. It was very relieving when I got to the top!

05/15/2024

Day 3!!! Today we went from Zubiri/Urdaniz to Pamplona. All of us did atleast 10-11 miles today. One of the toughest parts of walking to a big city is that you see the city from so far away, and it feels like forever until you get completely into the center of the city. All in all, a very good day. Here are some of the top photos.

Some of todays walk was along the bank of the river which was really neat. Then, towards the end you walk around 3 miles tthough the city. We enjoyed some ice cream near the center of the city, and very close to our stay is a very beautiful church. I enjoyed part of a Spanish mass in there with Evan.

05/14/2024

Day two complete!!
We did about 14 miles as we went from Burguete to Urdaniz. Here are some of my favorite pictures from today. It was a lot easier today in comparison to yesterday. Once we got to Urdaniz, I was “icing” my leg in the pool. Tucker proceeded to throw my towel to me, but it landed short in the pool. After getting soaked and sinking to the bottom of the pool. I had to go in to take a swim.

05/13/2024

Today our group conquered the Pyrenees! A very tough day where we did around 18 miles, we went up 1,100 meters through out the day. There are alot of special days on the Camino, and this is definitely one of them! It was a very challenging day, but we endured the challenge. Evan Spader is not pictured, because he was moving so quickly through the mountains. It was very impressive.

05/12/2024

Tomorrow we have a big challenge ahead of us. Wish your pilgrims good luck tomorrow! Today we spent the morning in Pamplona before taking the bus to St. Jean Pied du Port, France! Although the majority of the Camino is in Spain. The very first day is in France.

We grabbed lunch before heading out and checking out the city of St. Jean. My personal favorites were the cathedral, citadel/overlooking the city, and the river running through the city. Then, all of us got our official camino “compostella” or passport. The majority of places you go on the camino will have a specialized stamp for your passport. That way at the end you can look back at everywhere you have gone. Also, we spent some time together in the gite hanging out before going out to dinner. (Impressive sketch by Tucker of the city pictures below)

The day of beginning the camino has finally arrived. I know a lot of us have been excited for the moment for a while now. I’m sure we will do our best to take it all in and enjoy it.

Buen camino!!!

05/11/2024

Day 1 in the books! What an exciting time to be starting the Camino tomorrow. The group travelled all the way from Nashville to Pamplona. It was a tough travel day but we made the most of it.

Christian, who I met on my first camino, picked us up at the Barcelona airport with his friend Sergio. They took us around the city for a couple of hours. We were able to get to see Sagrada de Famili, a 1992 Olympic stadium where Barca plays now, and other great views of the city! Thanks to Christian and Sergio for their help!!! We enjoyed lunch outside the train station before getting on the train to Pamplona.

We got to Pamplona in the evening where we went out for dinner as a group. We enjoyed our night and spending time together. Looking forward to starting the camino tomorrow!!!

05/10/2024

The journey starts today! Thankful to Laura Rogers for covering the story. Also, very grateful for Heather Meenach Strode for helping out! Follow along on this page, or on our Instagram page (whenonthewaycamino).

05/08/2024

Only two days until the first group boards the plane to begin the journey of the Camino de Santiago. I am very excited to be going back, and for everyone who is going on their first Camino pilgrimage. Here are some of my favorite pictures along the way.

Information on doing the Camino next year in the summer of 2025 will be available sometime later in the summer!

05/02/2024

One remarkable aspect of the Camino is the Cathedrals you come across. These photos highlight three of the biggest Cathedrals along the Camino. One thing that blows my mind is that some Cathedrals took over 100 years to build. This would mean that the people who initially started building the Cathedral would only see it in part. It is also amazing how beautiful some small churches along the Camino are. Occasionally, you will walk through a city with less than 1,000 people. Then, you walk into a little church building that is very beautiful on the inside. The cathedrals and churches along the Camino are fascinating in their architecture, design, and history.

The Cathedrals pictured in this post are in Burgos, Leon, and Santiago.

04/24/2024

Favorite Camino Memories (John Klein)

One of my favorite Camino memories was playing soccer along the Camino in 2022. One rule that I always follow along the Camino is that anytime I get the chance to play soccer on the Camino I join in. This day in particular Manuel from Rome and I had backpacked somewhere between 22-25 miles. Despite our legs feeling like mush, we played soccer for a couple hours until it got dark outside.

As we were going through the town, we saw these kids playing soccer. We knew we had to play. This soccer court was practically in the center of the city, and for part of the time we played you could hear singing echoing from the church a few buildings down. I am not 100% certain. However, I believe that at some point that this "court" was used for bull fighting. Which, is why it has the large red wall wrapped around the entirety of it.

As you can see in the videos, I am a sports lover. I always play with passion and want to win/enjoy playing. Whether it is playing roller hockey in college or playing soccer in the middle of a small Spanish town. I realize that having these moments and experiences won't last forever. That's why for me it is important to make the most out of them. My legs and feet were not too pleased with me the next day, but we made it happen anyways.

04/22/2024

Camino Dinners!! Words don’t exist to express how special sharing meals, especially dinner, with our group and other fellow pilgrims while on the way. In the first picture alone, there are at least 8 countries represented that I can remember (United States, Ireland, France, Italy, Poland, Bulgaria, Lithuania, and Kyrgyzstan). Sometimes where we were staying offered a communal meal and other times dinners were just an organic gathering at a local restaurant.
A time of good food and spirits as well as lively discussion in multiple languages around the table and cultural exchanges of all sorts. A chance to catch up with fellow pilgrim friends and meet or get to know other or newer pilgrims better!

04/17/2024

A Camino Share by Manuel

To think of only one favourite memory was impossible for me, and even to choose 4 was not an easy task, as there isn’t a single day on the camino which I wouldn’t define as at least memorable.

The first pic is from the day of the arrival to Santiago de Compostela, which was probably the day that nobody wanted to come, as it meant the end of the incredible journey, and it came with a cocktail of emotions.

The second pic is from “La casa de los dioses”, which is hard to find a word for what its essence is, as in this “stand” you would find plenty of food, drinks and relief from the walk, along with the presence of David, which asked nothing in exchange of what he offered and helped people on the way.

The third pic is from one of the numerous rivers along the camino, and I’ll always remember the incredible feeling of dipping yourself in the fresh water which helped recover immensely.

The fourth pic (if you want to include it) is from a pub in Sarria, and it sums up the really fun nights in the camino with John and other young pilgrims, and the nightlife may not be as known but it’s easy to find good bars along some of the cities in the camino.

Buen Camino!!

04/15/2024

One really neat aspect of the Camino is for over 500 miles pilgrims rely on following the yellow arrow or the shell all the way across Spain. Most pilgrims do not use a map due to how well the trail is laid out simply because of the yellow arrow pointing you in the right direction. The Arrow may be on a trail-post, building, rock, artwork, and many other spots that they paint it on. In the early stages of the Camino, it is more common to see the arrow on the sides of houses. As you get closer to Santiago, the more common the trail-post are on The Way. Somehow with only yellow arrows the Camino guides pilgrims throughout the entire Way to Santiago.

04/10/2024

A Camino Share by Iona

When John suggested selecting 3-4 photos to share our experience/memories on the Camino de Santiago, it seemed like an easy task to me. However, upon opening my hard drive to send him my selection, I discovered I had 357 photos solely from the Camino.

It took Cristian 10 years to convince me to do the Camino de Santiago. I've never been much of a sportsperson, and it wasn't something that caught my attention. Now, I regret not starting it earlier.

If I were to summarize or highlight the Camino through these images, I would say I've seen beautiful landscapes. I used to think I loved seeing a green forest, but I also adore wheat fields that look like gold.

I highly recommend the blessing of the Camino mass that takes place in Roncesvalles. It's very moving and emotional.

During the Camino, you meet wonderful people who make the long days of walking enjoyable, and with whom you form, as in our case, a beautiful friendship.

Even though we were only there for a week, I can't wait to resume our journey. This time, with a new member joining us, our daughter María.

¡Buen camino, peregrino!

04/08/2024

We were hiking with our good friends Christian and Iona when we ran into a Sheppard and his sheep. With them were a handful of sheepdogs as well. I was a bit nervous not being a huge animal person, but we made it through just fine. It is rare to run into a Sheppard and his sheep, but it definitely does happen occasionally on the Camino.

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Videos

As we journeyed through Pamplona, they were having a large opera concert. It was really neat as all of the opera singers were standing on the balcony of a government building. Below them was a piano player. As you can see, a lot of people showed up to check this out. Several people were listening and watching from their balcony.

Getting up close and personal with these bulls 🐂🐂🐂!! There was a little fence in front of me, but those bulls being so close definitely makes you a little nervous.

A great video of the running of the bulls! Los Arcos version was more of a “dodging of the bulls.” However, the bulls still ran all throughout the city. There is a lot of video content, but Facebook only lets me upload 1 per reel. If you want to see more videos of this, then you can check out the Instagram @whenonthewaycamino.

Got to play some soccer in the Estella square.

This is the third time I have gone through this part of the route. But, the only time I have found this waterfall. What a hidden gem! Between Zubiri and Urdaniz!

One of my favorites from today!!!

A moment captured in St. Jean Pied du Port. When I first enter the church there were 5-10 people in there checking it out. After spending some time looking around and praying I was the only one left in the church which was pretty cool to be in this beautiful church all alone. I always love the feeling and sensation that these churches/cathedrals make you feel when you spend time in there. As I continued to look through the church, I heard singing echoing in the street. The singing last probably about 30 seconds outside of the church. As the singing went on it got louder and louder until they entered the church. I’m not sure what they were doing, but thought it was a video worth sharing.

On the morning of 5/12 in Pamplona. We heard a band playing from a street over. We decided to go and check it out. We caught the start of the Pamplona half marathon which features a police escort with the band playing for the runners. (Police escort not caught on video.)