I had been warned. The first day of the Camino de Santiago is the hardest. It’s steep. It’s a shock. It’s difficult. But I still wasn’t ready.

Refugee: [ref-yoo-jee, ref-yoo-jee]  

noun 

A person who flees for refuge or safety. 

Soaking wet and sobbing, I’m crumpled in the back pew of the Segovia Cathedral. Suspicious tourists on self-guided audio tours glance my way. Locals kneeling rows ahead are now praying to the patron saint of “shut the hell up.” But I can’t. I cry.