From May 13 to June 27, three Florida Tech students joined Catholic Campus Ministry Chaplain Fr. Randall Meissen in traversing northern Spain on the Camino Francés, an ancient pilgrimage route to the burial place of St. James the Great in Santiago de Compostela. Covering 550 miles on foot, they stayed in pilgrim hostels, started hiking daily before dawn, and crossed vineyards, mountain passes, medieval cathedrals and small stone villages – and encountered other pilgrims along the way.
Meissen asked his fellow travelers – Alan Alcantara (mechanical engineering, Class of 2028), Anthony Tomic (civil engineering, Class of 2028), and JP Ostapovich (marine biology, Class of 2025) – about the experience. Their answers are lightly edited for clarity and length.
What first nudged you to say yes to the Camino?
Alan: Backpacking 550 miles across Spain sounded physically hard, which is exactly what I wanted. I hoped to grow spiritually, mentally and physically, and this felt like the perfect way to focus on those areas.
Anthony: I felt called to step outside my comforts and devote myself to the Lord.
JP: For years, Fr. Randall encouraged me to go. As graduation neared, I realized this might be the right time. I hoped a pilgrimage to be closer to God would bring clarity of mind and purpose for the future.
Let’s talk hiking packs. What did you carry, and what do you wish you had left behind?
Alan: I took a minimalist approach: Clothes, a water bottle, money and a toothbrush. Optimization and efficiency. I was not prepared for the blisters and aches, though.
Anthony: I actually packed a lot because I had a study abroad program afterward, and I did not arrange to ship things to Oxford. On the Camino, I rotated one shirt and a sleeping shirt, plus pants and shorts. I lost a book, but I was not going to finish it anyway.
JP: You really only need the essentials. Clothing, an extra pair of socks, four-in-one soap, a toothbrush and toothpaste, a lightweight sleeping bag, a small first aid kit, and rain gear. Pretty much everything you take with you, you’ll use every day, so you have a very easy time tracking your gear.
What was the hardest daily hurdle?
Anthony: Food was my motivator. I knew the walking would end, and we would eat dinner. The step back from school, rowing and ROTC was a good reset with a simple routine that gave me a sense of purpose.
JP: Waking up and keeping yourself going. The Camino is wonderful, but it is a lot of walking.
Alan: The rhythm made time go by faster because everything changed. Cities, albergues (the Spanish term for pilgrims’ hostels), landscapes and people. New settings forced you into the present, paying attention to landmarks and asking for directions, not just going through the motions.
Talk about a place that took your breath away.
Alan: Burgos, León and Santiago. The stonework was absolutely breathtaking. Cathedrals’ grandeur and serenity draw the heart toward wonder, reverence and contemplation.
Anthony: O Cebreiro. We climbed in the rain and reached a beautiful hilltop village. Even before I learned the story of the Eucharistic miracle there, it felt different.
JP: The mountains on the border between Castilla y León and Galicia. Reaching the green hills of Galicia and watching sunsets from the ridgelines felt like we were nearing the finish.
What was it like to travel as a group rather than solo?
Anthony: The guys around me made the trip. If anyone complained, we joked, “Who’s crying?” Keeping a light heart helped us persevere when it was tough.
JP: Traveling together meant nobody got left behind. At times, it could get a bit tiring.
Did you find practices that anchored your day?
Anthony: Daily Mass in Spanish gave me time to reflect and listen to Jesus.
JP: In the historic churches, I felt a spiritual closeness to those who had come before. The pilgrim traditions kept alive on the Camino have persisted, and I understand why. These traditions gave me the strength to keep going at my lowest points.
Alan: One small albergue run by nuns gathered everyone to share why they were walking. Themes of healing and growth captured the Camino spirit.
What went through your mind when you reached our primary destination, the Cathedral of Santiago?
Alan: A deep sense of accomplishment. After more than a month of walking, I finally felt like I could slow down and rest.
JP: The plaza in front of the cathedral was a sight for sore feet. The actual tomb of Saint James was an incredibly solemn and moving place. Seeing the tomb, it felt like a giant weight was lifted off my shoulders, and I was filled with a sense of happiness and achievement. We all had just completed one of the three great pilgrimages of Christianity
Anthony: Where is the buffet?
Some pilgrims continue to the Atlantic at Finisterre. Why go on?
Alan: Reaching the sea brought a sense of completion. Seeing the 0,00 km mark wrapped the journey up perfectly, making it feel almost like a movie ending.
JP: Reaching Finisterre felt like the culmination of hard work come to its natural conclusion, on the shores of the vast Atlantic Ocean. The ocean symbolizes the unknown future, but one that has been navigated before.
Best bite? Any ‘never again’ food moments?
Alan: The octopus was good. I often fasted to save money, sometimes one meal a day, which made walking a bit tougher.
JP: The food was incredible. Galician seafood was fantastic, and the traditional Celtic meal in Fonfría was amazing as well. Even the chili dishes or hamburger-meat-with-pasta that we cooked up in the albergue kitchens were good. I did still miss New Jersey pizza. So that was my first dinner back home from the Camino.
What shifted in you as a student or young professional after this journey?
Anthony: I saw that I had made other things the center. God needs to be number one.
JP: I am more resilient, in both spiritual and physical senses. The Camino deepened my faith and showed me I can set loftier goals for myself.
Alan: Your mind quits before your body. Keep pushing. I plan to bring that mindset back to my work at school.
Advice for Panthers who are Camino curious?
Alan: Do practice hikes. Know what you are getting into.
Anthony: Yes, do it. It is relatively inexpensive. Few people get this experience, and you grow out of yourself.
JP: Prepare well. Train. Pack well. Do not carry too much water with you. Having 5 liters is great for crossing the flat, humid plains of the “meseta,” but having an extra 5 kilograms of weight isn’t!
