- Time of past OR future Camino
- Porto 2015.
Northern 2017
Francigena Oct 2023
Two years ago I walked the Camino Portuguese, beginning in Porto, with a priest friend of mine. Over the days, we spoke of many things: our families and friends, the relationships we have with God, our parishioners (I'm a priest, too) and their needs, our visions of Church and our ministry, about growing older and beginning to ask questions about what life would be like in our later years, about our gratitude for every blessing received from God and the people we love.
We rejoiced in the beauty of Portugal and Western Spain, reveled in the food, pulled each other out of the way of passing cars, commiserated with each other's aching feet, met strangers who became friends from all over the world, and relaxed into an easy companionship with an ever so seldom freedom from schedules appointments and waiting projects.
To say it was rich is to offer an utterly impoverished description of our amazing time together. I LOVED that camino.
Before I began to read this forum, I thought I was peculiar, haunted by my camino and thirsting for another, more extended experience. I felt odd about this, and wondered about the longing to continue the journey. Then I began to read this discussion (thank you, Ivar) and found that I was not alone, and that there was a whole community of people who have done repeated caminos, enriched by the chance companionship of the road, and enchanted by the life in slow motion of the many steps to Santiago.
I'm so happy to have found you. I've been lurking, for the most part, reading your insights, considering your discussions of what makes a proper camino (albergues or hotels, spiritual/religious/secular motives, heavy backpacks or light, boots or running shoes). What a wonderful discussion! I so appreciate the voices of freedom, allowing each person to make the camino that makes sense to them.
I've just been given freedom for a sabbatical, to do a full, six week. So, this next August/September I will do the northern camino, beginning in Irun, and then diverging on the route that I am coming to understand must not be named (say those who have already done it).
I just wanted to say thank you to all of you for your thoughts. It was good to discover I'm not the only one haunted...in a good way...by the camino. I hope to meet some of you on my next pilgrimage.
Buen camino a todos!
We rejoiced in the beauty of Portugal and Western Spain, reveled in the food, pulled each other out of the way of passing cars, commiserated with each other's aching feet, met strangers who became friends from all over the world, and relaxed into an easy companionship with an ever so seldom freedom from schedules appointments and waiting projects.
To say it was rich is to offer an utterly impoverished description of our amazing time together. I LOVED that camino.
Before I began to read this forum, I thought I was peculiar, haunted by my camino and thirsting for another, more extended experience. I felt odd about this, and wondered about the longing to continue the journey. Then I began to read this discussion (thank you, Ivar) and found that I was not alone, and that there was a whole community of people who have done repeated caminos, enriched by the chance companionship of the road, and enchanted by the life in slow motion of the many steps to Santiago.
I'm so happy to have found you. I've been lurking, for the most part, reading your insights, considering your discussions of what makes a proper camino (albergues or hotels, spiritual/religious/secular motives, heavy backpacks or light, boots or running shoes). What a wonderful discussion! I so appreciate the voices of freedom, allowing each person to make the camino that makes sense to them.
I've just been given freedom for a sabbatical, to do a full, six week. So, this next August/September I will do the northern camino, beginning in Irun, and then diverging on the route that I am coming to understand must not be named (say those who have already done it).
I just wanted to say thank you to all of you for your thoughts. It was good to discover I'm not the only one haunted...in a good way...by the camino. I hope to meet some of you on my next pilgrimage.
Buen camino a todos!
