one month ago today i walked into Santiago de Compostela having walked for 36 days across Spain from France. i had completed the 800kms/500mi Camino Frances, the most popular Camino in the world. it's a 1000 year old pilgrimage and presently supports some 250,000 pilgrims every year to Santiago, some of us walking the whole 33 stages from St. Jean Pied de Port from France, and an equal amount of other pilgrims, short on time, doing the last 100kms from Sarria and still qualifying to get the certificate.
i had only heard of the Camino one year before, and now I had done it. 33 days of walking (roughly 25kms per day) with 3 rest days. i had started a novice and i had finished a grizzled pilgrim. for many of us it was the biggest thing we had ever done in our lives. and being a part of a daily mass migration across northern Spain you certainly felt like you were part of something larger than yourself, because you were. thousands of pilgrims were doing the same thing as you, every day, pushing across Spain covering one million steps from France, through rain, sun, wind, blisters, hills, some mountains, sometimes walking alongside highways, but soldiering on every day. then you hit Santiago and it's over. job done. mission accomplished. pilgrimage complete. and it feels weird.
i'm still processing what it all meant. it was life-altering for many and for me empowering to say the least. what could be hard after accomplishing that? i have a new perspective now. i've earned some stripes you might say. and in an odd way for me it was like taking France from the Germans a la WWII, one town at a time, with mates you meet along "the way of st. james". like the 4 french gals i saw in a cafe in Bayonne across from the train station, on the way to St. Jean. i ran into them so many times, nothing planned, we just leap-frogged one another for 5 weeks along the Camino. and the many others you met, walked with, had a coffee with, a beer with, shared a meal with, shared a bunk bed with, and somehow connected with. and are still chatting with!
why does one do it? for me it was primarily a fitness quest with adventure, medieval villages, architecture, food, and the famous camino camaraderie. you quickly bond on the journey and some you meet once and others over and over! but the walk is also contemplative as you walk in solitude most of the time. i enjoyed that bit as well and the freedom of walking without thinking and letting things bubble from within that need your attention. my sister's premature death from gallbladder cancer, my dad's suicide, my own bout with prostate cancer, career paths that fizzled, career breaks that happened or didn't, business deals gone bad, forgiveness, past loves, and the larger question of what to do with the rest of my life. no pressure!
i feel i did get some things resolved, and some things i must wait to get answers on. but i'm more patient now. less demanding. more present and less preoccupied. i'm on facebook less. trying to enjoy nature more. wanna stay more fit if i can, walk more, swim more, hike more, consume less. be content more with what i have. and let things come or unfold as they will.
i'm battling with Home Affairs in ZA to try and stay and live and work here and enjoy this lovely cottage i have now, but even all that is on the table it's okay. it will happen or not and life will allow me to stay here or perhaps not. and either way is okay because that's the way it is. and you have to follow the way. it's exhausting swimming up stream. i've done it long enough. if need be you make a new plan. and see what new adventure awaits.
i'm six years in africa now and 3 years in south africa. and it's been an amazing adventure and i love where i am. but there is so much more out there. and our life is only a breath. i'm trying to be more intentional about enjoying each day and let the bigger things sort themselves out. i do my bit, and let God do his. he brought me here and he can do as he likes although i'm keen to stay where i am. i fly to LA this month to go to the RSA embassy and apply for a visa there. that will be telling. of course THE BLOG will have all the news!
walking the Camino is also quite a UN experience. lots of COTWs besides myself from Korea, Germany, Denmark, OZ, NZ, Canada, France, Lithuania, Sweden, ZA, USA, Spain, all over. and mostly i'd say are walking solo and open to meeting like-minded pilgrims. you meet and see such a variety. the humanity of the planet coming together. it's pretty cool. (rent the movie 'The Way' on iTunes to get a better feel for the Camino).
and the amazing thing is how many people have done it again, and even again. or walked other Caminos. there's one across France from Le Puy i've got my eye on. many pilgrims can no longer go sit on some beach after this vacation. only walking vacations from here on. and there's many Caminos, in italy, Japan, Portugal, everywhere. (although i've just heard about Swimquest today where you swim 12kms a day!)
is it like the Appalachian Trail or the Pacific Crest Trail??? not at all! you're not camping or carrying your own food & cooking gear, there's a cafe every hour, and after you walk your six hours a day there's a cold beer waiting for you somewhere along the Camino! some say it's a pub crawl for senior citizens! but those six hours each day are no duck walk. you don't get to Santiago by sitting in a cafe. you gotta put in the steps, and that means everyday.
it turns into quite a simplistic, romantic lifestyle, and although i swore i wouldn't do it again, i have missed it quite a bit. if nothing else, your life has meaning and a focused achievable goal everyday for 5-6 weeks. lots of purpose and a widely shared experience with those you are traveling with. (i also had a WhatsApp group following me and i posted on Facebook, so many others shared it as well).
now for some pics. all taken with my iphone with some Snapseed filters in the beginning. i don't remember all the villages, but you'll get the spirit of the camino! enjoy! (my book hopefully will be available on Amazon jan 1!)
as we say on the trail...Buen Camino!
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| cape town to paris via Doha. a hectic connection across the Paris metro lines to the train station to st. jean. i made it! then 6 hours by train! |
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| after a long travel day, very glad to get here. |
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| straight to the pilgrim's office to get my pilgrim passport to be stamped along the way. |
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| pilgrim backpack v.1 was 55L +10. too big! ditched it after 8 days. v.2 was 42L. |
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| the beauty of old france. day one on the trail. leaving st. jean. |
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| up and over the Pyrenees. the sheep were spray-painted with blue dots. |
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| At the summit, heading down into spain. the first day is a killer. |
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| the long way down to Roncesvalles. my legs were jelly. hard to train properly for day one. |
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| day 2. still a long way to go. |
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| day two...french couple snoring during their siesta. |
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| i stayed in the albergues (dorms) one night. after that opted for my own room and more space. |
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| tanja from germany had the bunk below me. she's great. we walked a few days together and met up in santiago. she powered through the 800kms in 30 days. then she went on to Finisterra. |
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| find and follow the yellow arrow, stay on the path, and you'll get there. |
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| Pamplona was a big surprise. such a hip, cool city! loved it! |
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| one of the few rainy days we had. so fun to see this place after watching The Way. |
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| so many beautiful churches. of course The Way of St. James takes you to every church along the way. |
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| field after field of dead sunflowers. waiting for harvest to make sunflower oil. |
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| poncho day. half the pilgrims wore boots, the other running shoes. |
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| i think this was Estella. had a hilarious waiter. ensalada mixta and beer! |
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| leaving before dawn. i preferred the camino to myself and getting an early start to the day. |
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| chocolate croissant, cafe con leche, a banana. a good first breakfast, usually an hour into the day. |
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| the camino takes you through the bread basket of Spain. |
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| another village, another church. looks like Los Arcos. |
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| there was a record number of pilgrims this september. and it doubles the last 100kms at Sarria. |
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| some of the vistas were flat out stunning. |
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| these two added to the vibe for sure! the Camino Duo! |
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| everyday was slightly different. always something new to see. |
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| many of the churches are closed and abandoned. perhaps a pilgrim tax of 1 euro per day per pilgrim could help maintain these old relics. there's a lot of pilgrims. a tiny tax would add up quickly. |
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| this is Logrono. my first rest day. i took 3 days off. one here, burgos, and leon. |
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| i became a beer drinker. nothing topped it after a long day. |
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| this was a lovely morning spot for that first coffee. |
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| this was fall. my friends did april-may and say it was so green! we had lots of harvested fields. |
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| i used trekking poles and was happy with them. one step after another. |
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| i found it easier going uphill. i didn't mind the inclines. |
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| there are so many churches! enormous! |
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| even the jet contrails were stunning. |
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| Another bell tower. later in Galicia there were so many stork nests in the towers. |
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| Oga from Poland. you meet a pilgrim, walk the day together, and move on. |
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| some mornings had this beautiful foggy haze. |
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| like a drip-castle cathedral. |
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| this was in Burgos. |
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| And the road goes on and on. |
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| still on track. |
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| your basic ham and cheese bocadillo. and a cold coke. |
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| An old monastery turned 4 star hotel. huge! |
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| An incredible space. |
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| early morning light. a long 14km stretch with no cafes this day. |
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| and suddenly surrounded by sheep. |
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| pilgrim dinner with Balsamic Dave and besties from Nor Cal. |
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| signage was always a relief. |
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| Geri & Ray from down under. great mates we became. saw them often, almost daily! |
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| Dani from germany. we met at breakfast and then walked together. saw each other a lot! |
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| crossing a train track entering Astorga. |
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| small chapel for monk singing, at Rabanal. |
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| the famous rock drop place. a palpable buzz here. cruz de ferro. |
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| your basic camino cafe. |
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| at the top of a long hill climb. spectacular clouds! |
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| mother daughter team from quebec. |
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| And this fun, mad, italian! |
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| sunrise towards the last day. |
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| sandy from san diego. |
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| oh the humanity! |
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| pre dawn. |
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| long haulers. blue across france and green walked from germany! |
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| felt like the top of the world. |
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| didn't see many animals. not even squirrels. kinda eerie. found this dead badger. poor fellow. |
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| these old sheds from roman times kept the rats out. |
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| only 44 klicks to go! |
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| cerveza with lemon. and a bite. |
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| most of us carried a clam shell on our backs/packs. |
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| angela from korea became a good friend. |
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| tanja and i had dinner in santiago on her birthday. |
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| santiago cathedral under renovation. |
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| this korean walked spain then was headed to do africa from morocco. spoke little english. |
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| lots of hugs on this square. |
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| the spaniards love their octopus. pulperias. |
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| At the end of the world. at the atlantic. they believed the earth fell off after here. |
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| i met jennifer from ft worth. we shared some time in santiago. a good connection. |
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| the mapa. |
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| loved this bistro! |
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| huge scale of everything.this was a great plaza for eating. |
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| bullet train to madrid. |
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| on the streets of paris. |
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| one of my favorite things. |
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| And my book project! the end! |
