Via Regia

Route

Experience

In 2015, I tested a small portion of the Via Regia in eastern Germany, from Görlitz on the Polish border via Leipzig to Vacha during May, 2015. Because of train strikes, I fell short by two days making it to Eisenach instead of Vacha. (See my blog: Via Regia 2015.) This stretch was a golden opportunity to experience a part of Europe not yet totally modernized–I loved it, the slower pace and a simpler life.

In 2016, I had a more ambitious walk on the Via Regia: starting in the south-eastern town of Medyka, Poland (close to Przemysl) going through Poland and then, through Germany, France, and Spain to end at Santiago de Compostela. Although I originally looked at starting in Kiev, Ukraine, I soon gave up on that idea because of language, political unrest, and sheer logistics. The 90-day Schengen limitation topped my list of challenges and although Poland’s agreement with the USA predates the Schengen Treaty and solved entry and exit, it didn’t solve the 90-day limitation in the other Schengen States! I managed to avoid any difficulties within the Schengen Area. This Camino ranked as my best ever.