juliecarteraz
New Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- Frances, May 2013
Hi: I am back home after a very abbreviated Camino. I left SJPP on May 6th. Unfortunately, I injured my knee on the climb up the Napoleon route, and despite a 5 night stay in Viskarret/Biskarreta and a six night rest in Pamplona, I could not recover enough to continue. Although my experience was far from normal, I still came back having had a remarkable journey. I cannot wait to get back so that I can continue my Camino. Here's what I learned during my all too short trek:
On the way to Orisson, I learned to enjoy the quiet. I have lost most of my hearing, and have a bit of fear about things being too silent or too quiet. Quiet is good. In the hustle and bustle of daily life things get lost. Important things like birds. Right before Hunto, I heard birds singing. This is a sound I haven't heard in 30 years or better. The Camino was that quiet. I sat on a rock and listened to the birds sing for 30 minutes. Priceless.
People are genuinely good. I mean GENUINELY good. The couple I met on the way to Rouncevalles in the pouring rain and 40 mph winds, for example. They were huddled together behind a rock trying to escape some seriously nasty wind. They made room for me in their small shelter out of the elements and behind the only rock in sight. Both recognized I was injured, and they calmed me. They each slowed their pace to walk with me up a steep and muddy slope just to keep me company for a little while and motivate me to keep going. I saw them that evening in Rouncevalles after I had finally made it. We embraced in a group hug. Goodness -- the Camino is filled with goodness every step of the way.
The albergues are fun! Yes, the snoring is enough to wake the dead. Yes, you have to wait for a shower. Yes, the showers are small and might be lukewarm. Yes, some of the bathrooms are co-ed. Yes, you have to wait in line for a bed. Don't miss this experience even if you have to step outside your comfort zone. Just make it happen. You will be glad you did.
Those gloves, that hat, your Merino long underwear that you are thinking about leaving behind to save weight? Think again. I lived in my woollies until I got to Pamplona. The wind and rain that second day on the Route Napoleon was biting!
No matter how your first Camino goes, more than likely, you will be eager to return. I know I am. I cannot wait to get back and finish what I started. So many lessons await me. So many wonderful people to meet. So many incredible sounds and sights to experience.
What was hardest? That's easy. For me the hardest thing I have ever had to do in my life was getting on that bus in Pamplona to go to Madrid to fly home. I cried.
To those of you on the Camino now, I really miss you! To those of you preparing for your Camino, savor every minute of that preparation -- even your jitters and fears -- and know that all will be well. Buen Camino!
On the way to Orisson, I learned to enjoy the quiet. I have lost most of my hearing, and have a bit of fear about things being too silent or too quiet. Quiet is good. In the hustle and bustle of daily life things get lost. Important things like birds. Right before Hunto, I heard birds singing. This is a sound I haven't heard in 30 years or better. The Camino was that quiet. I sat on a rock and listened to the birds sing for 30 minutes. Priceless.
People are genuinely good. I mean GENUINELY good. The couple I met on the way to Rouncevalles in the pouring rain and 40 mph winds, for example. They were huddled together behind a rock trying to escape some seriously nasty wind. They made room for me in their small shelter out of the elements and behind the only rock in sight. Both recognized I was injured, and they calmed me. They each slowed their pace to walk with me up a steep and muddy slope just to keep me company for a little while and motivate me to keep going. I saw them that evening in Rouncevalles after I had finally made it. We embraced in a group hug. Goodness -- the Camino is filled with goodness every step of the way.
The albergues are fun! Yes, the snoring is enough to wake the dead. Yes, you have to wait for a shower. Yes, the showers are small and might be lukewarm. Yes, some of the bathrooms are co-ed. Yes, you have to wait in line for a bed. Don't miss this experience even if you have to step outside your comfort zone. Just make it happen. You will be glad you did.
Those gloves, that hat, your Merino long underwear that you are thinking about leaving behind to save weight? Think again. I lived in my woollies until I got to Pamplona. The wind and rain that second day on the Route Napoleon was biting!
No matter how your first Camino goes, more than likely, you will be eager to return. I know I am. I cannot wait to get back and finish what I started. So many lessons await me. So many wonderful people to meet. So many incredible sounds and sights to experience.
What was hardest? That's easy. For me the hardest thing I have ever had to do in my life was getting on that bus in Pamplona to go to Madrid to fly home. I cried.
To those of you on the Camino now, I really miss you! To those of you preparing for your Camino, savor every minute of that preparation -- even your jitters and fears -- and know that all will be well. Buen Camino!