After Camino

[Jamie Y. Mo]

Hello all,
I walked 7 weeks France Camino in May and June, 2017.
I came home in July and now is August.
I don't know what I have been doing since I came back.
I really miss the time I walked every day through the mountains, forests, endless wheat fields, vineyards, numerous villages, highways..
Every thing seems unreal now like a dream. I was both happy and in pain on Camino, just like living a life in real world but somehow I was happier and less confused than real life.
Now I am back in a city I live now. I can't really stand the noise and crowd.
I don't really feel like doing anything. I feel like I have lived fully enough on Camino and I am thrown back in a place where I don't feel a life.
I have never had this kind of feeling after travel before.
Is this normal? or am I just too sensitive?

 

[nycwalking]

Join the club. Best way to sort yourself out plan your next camino.

 

[Former member 42123]

Hello all,
I walked 7 weeks France Camino in May and June, 2017.
I came home in July and now is August.
I don't know what I have been doing since I came back.
I really miss the time I walked every day through the mountains, forests, endless wheat fields, vineyards, numerous villages, highways..
Every thing seems unreal now like a dream. I was both happy and in pain on Camino, just like living a life in real world but somehow I was happier and less confused than real life.
Now I am back in a city I live now. I can't really stand the noise and crowd.
I don't really feel like doing anything. I feel like I have lived fully enough on Camino and I am thrown back in a place where I don't feel a life.
I have never had this kind of feeling after travel before.
Is this normal? or am I just too sensitive?

You echo the thoughts and feelingsof so many returned pilgrims . I personally believe YOU NEVER forget or replicate the feelings you had on the Camino,and the only way to recover is to begin thinking of your next Camino however distant.You are officiallysuffering with the well known (at least to pilgrims ) disease Caminoitis.

 

[Jamie Y. Mo]

You echo the thoughts and feelingsof so many returned pilgrims . I personally believe YOU NEVER forget or replicate the feelings you had on the Camino,and the only way to recover is to begin thinking of your next Camino however distant.You are officiallysuffering with the well known (at least to pilgrims ) disease Caminoitis.

Thanks for your reply.
Before the Camino, I felt like I needed a change so I had a very short hair cut for the first time in my life and I was thinking of a longer trip if I felt like after the Camino. But I realized that heading to Santiago wasn't what I was there for. I was there to learn that there are much more beautiful things that I hadn't paid enough attentions for and immersed myself in it for the time being. It is hard to explain what happened on the Camino to others because life itself there was simple. No dramatic events. I was quiet and smiley most of the time but inside my head I was getting clearer about the world.
The city I live in now is like a Whoa.. My eyes and ears don't really seem to take these new flows.

 

[anna klara klintegaard]

Dear Jamie,

Yes, I felt exactly the same returning from the Camino, and yes, you are perfectly normal. The best thing to do, is trying to adjust your everyday life to be like the Camino life, you miss so much. Try to make your life more simple, enjoy the nature as much as you can and be kind to strangers. What called you to the Camino is still calling you. And remember, you can always walk another Camino Buen Camino! Anna

 

[Jamie Y. Mo]

Dear Jamie,

Yes, I felt exactly the same returning from the Camino, and yes, you are perfectly normal. The best thing to do, is trying to adjust your everyday life to be like the Camino life, you miss so much. Try to make your life more simple, enjoy the nature as much as you can and be kind to strangers. What called you to the Camino is still calling you. And remember, you can always walk another Camino Buen Camino! Anna

Thank you for your kind reply.
I feel like I have lost a will to continue living a daily life. After I returned, I went to another backpacking trip to Grand Canyon but it was nothing like Camino.. It is really strange because I didn't feel like this even when I returned from travelling in S.America. Camino has done something to me in a way that I have never experienced before.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

Camino blues. Those of us who are serial repeaters have been there, done that.

You will soon start planning your second Camino. But don't expect it to be like the first. They never are the same.

 

[MichelleElynHogan]

Hi Jamie,

What you are experiencing is not universal but definitely common. Your reaction shows you have a Heart and perhaps with a Spiritual component. Nothing wrong with that. For me, I define this as falling in love with life as it should be. All have given you very good advice.

For yourself, your Heart will be your best advisor.

Some have found ways to live on the Camino. It has become that important to them. I admit, I have dallied with the idea myself in some form. The future will tell me what my Camino will be.

 

[hel&scott]

It is hard to explain what happened on the Camino to others because life itself there was simple. No dramatic events. I was quiet and smiley most of the time but inside my head I was getting clearer about the world.
The city I live in now is like a Whoa.. My eyes and ears don't really seem to take these new flows.

As others have said, it's addictive, which explains why so many of us keep walking, it's not just the walk it's the time spent away from all the normal commitments in life, throw away cellphone and head off somewhere, anywhere. Eventualy we gave up city life and brought a nut farm, where the rythmn and flow of nature dominate our lives, not so much just one foot after another, but every day I trudge off down our own Camino to move the pigs, check on the orchard and then do what ever the season requires.

 

[Jamie Y. Mo]

Camino blues. Those of us who are serial repeaters have been there, done that.

You will soon start planning your second Camino. But don't expect it to be like the first. They never are the same.

Yes. I have met people who have done second, third... even 50th times Camino! When I heard them saying, I immediately thought I want to come back, and I really do. but When?
Juggling life between practical matters and ideal but possible ideas is hard to deal with.
Thanks.

 

[natefaith]

Hi @Jamie K, I just wrote you a private message - it should be in your inbox but let me know if you don't see it.
Take care!
Faith

 

[Mike Savage]

It amazes me that on the Camino there is time to walk 25km (more or less) every day, stop for leisurely meals, meet new friend, visit with old friends (from yesterday,) wash laundry by hand, visit churches and museums and think nothing of walking across town for some grocery shopping and maybe more. Every day is full of life. At home we (I) have every convenience to help get more done in a shorter amount of time to enhance life and spend (theoretically) more time with family and friends. In practice it seems to work just the opposite. The slower pace of life while on the Camino is more meaningful and filled with life and definitely a better use of my time. It also is more conducive to prayer, contemplation, and thinking (for me.)

Buen Camino.

 

[Edward Awad]

For some, the camino bug is for life. Its symptoms: deep yearning for solitude, contemplation, camaraderie, simplicity, meaning, overflowing grace, feeling free yet connected... I am planning for my 3rd camino in srping 2018

 

[Peter Fransiscus]

Hi Jamie , I inherited the Camino virus from my wife Marianne years ago .
Beeing hooked and addicted is not that strange.
Wish you for the years to come many more lovely Camino's.

Wish you well, Peter.

 

[Jamie Y. Mo]

For some, the camino bug is for life. Its symptoms: deep yearning for solitude, contemplation, camaraderie, simplicity, meaning, overflowing grace, feeling free yet connected... I am planning for my 3rd camino in srping 2018

Good for you. I wish you all the best.

 

[Jamie Y. Mo]

It amazes me that on the Camino there is time to walk 25km (more or less) every day, stop for leisurely meals, meet new friend, visit with old friends (from yesterday,) wash laundry by hand, visit churches and museums and think nothing of walking across town for some grocery shopping and maybe more. Every day is full of life. At home we (I) have every convenience to help get more done in a shorter amount of time to enhance life and spend (theoretically) more time with family and friends. In practice it seems to work just the opposite. The slower pace of life while on the Camino is more meaningful and filled with life and definitely a better use of my time. It also is more conducive to prayer, contemplation, and thinking (for me.)

Buen Camino.

Thanks for your reply. Yeah.
Staying at a monastery for 5 days in a small village, walking only about 10 km and stopped because I just felt like it and rest for the rest of the day, reading books outside or on the bed for hours, washing the sweaty clothes and drying them under the sizzling sun, writing random thoughts in my journal, doing nothing and walking around the village, cooking dinner in a communal kitchen and eat and drink with other people... and so many other things that I loved.
I read, wrote, observed and listened to others on the Camino more than I do here and I loved how I was.
I am still like floating in the middle of nowhere. I guess I will eventually adjust to daily routine and talk about this with others as one of my travel stories at dinner or sometimes. As Camino is so personal (although we all walk toward the same destination and go through pretty much the same daily routine i.e. walk, rest, sleep), I am not sure if this is going to be like this for much longer than what I think. If that is the case, I don't know how to deal with it.

 

[norelle]

Hi Jamie,

I felt just like you did after my first camino. Practising mindfulness really helped me. I think this was because that was one of the things I was missing about the camino - just being in the moment.

Another thing that helped was finding my local pilgrim group here in Sydney. I go along to some of the meetings to see others who know about the camino.

Wishing you a buen camino for this journey!

 

[Tigger]

Hello all,
I walked 7 weeks France Camino in May and June, 2017.
I came home in July and now is August.
I don't know what I have been doing since I came back.
I really miss the time I walked every day through the mountains, forests, endless wheat fields, vineyards, numerous villages, highways..
Every thing seems unreal now like a dream. I was both happy and in pain on Camino, just like living a life in real world but somehow I was happier and less confused than real life.
Now I am back in a city I live now. I can't really stand the noise and crowd.
I don't really feel like doing anything. I feel like I have lived fully enough on Camino and I am thrown back in a place where I don't feel a life.
I have never had this kind of feeling after travel before.
Is this normal? or am I just too sensitive?

We, who have had the opportunity to walk the Camino are 'blessed' and very lucky to have had the opportunity. The fact is that for most of us, it is a temporary welcome suspension of our daily lives.
Returning to the daily grind is naturally difficult and often problematic.
That is life.
One has choices as to how we live if we have the resources to have walked a Camino.
Upon returning, the true benefit of the Camino experience is to apply the positives to our lives and use the negatives as lessons and pointers to improve our regular existence and that of others around us.
No-one could or should eat the 'candy of life' on a full time basis. It would either become meaningless or harm us in some way.

 

[Mike Trebert]

We, who have had the opportunity to walk the Camino are 'blessed' and very lucky to have had the opportunity. The fact is that for most of us, it is a temporary welcome suspension of our daily lives.
Returning to the daily grind is naturally difficult and often problematic.
That is life.
One has choices as to how we live if we have the resources to have walked a Camino.
Upon returning, the true benefit of the Camino experience is to apply the positives to our lives and use the negatives as lessons and pointers to improve our regular existence and that of others around us.
No-one could or should eat the 'candy of life' on a full time basis. It would either become meaningless or harm us in some way.

Very well said. Thanks.

 

[markmcilroy]

Hi Jamie,

.....somewhere in EXTRA LARGE print should be a warning about the affects or effects (I can never sort those 2 out) of the Camino on us. I find this forum an excellent help. I'm off to do my 2nd in 4 weeks time having done my 1st this time last year. I have read that some even do a Camino twice a year ( those ones are probably in need of serious professional help ).

All your feelings and thoughts are very natural and are to be expected and are shared by many of us.

Great thoughts,
Mark

 

[Tigger]

Hi Jamie,

.....somewhere in EXTRA LARGE print should be a warning about the affects or effects (I can never sort those 2 out) of the Camino on us. I find this forum an excellent help. I'm off to do my 2nd in 4 weeks time having done my 1st this time last year. I have read that some even do a Camino twice a year ( those ones are probably in need of serious professional help ).

All your feelings and thoughts are very natural and are to be expected and are shared by many of us.

Great thoughts,
Mark

affect is a verb
effect is a noun

 

[markmcilroy]

affect is a verb
effect is a noun

thanks Tigger.....it still confuses me....I think the Camino can do both to us?.....

 

[El Gallo]

Hello all,
I walked 7 weeks France Camino in May and June, 2017.
I came home in July and now is August.
I don't know what I have been doing since I came back.
I really miss the time I walked every day through the mountains, forests, endless wheat fields, vineyards, numerous villages, highways..
Every thing seems unreal now like a dream. I was both happy and in pain on Camino, just like living a life in real world but somehow I was happier and less confused than real life.
Now I am back in a city I live now. I can't really stand the noise and crowd.
I don't really feel like doing anything. I feel like I have lived fully enough on Camino and I am thrown back in a place where I don't feel a life.
I have never had this kind of feeling after travel before.
Is this normal? or am I just too sensitive?

Jamie,
I did the CF two years ago and your words echo my sentiments perfectly. Time has not diminished my feelings of being on the Camino. Like a drug addict, I am constantly looking to duplicate the feeling of being afoot in the Spanish country-side. Real life tends to grab you and says welcome back to reality.
All pilgrims should be blessed with those feelings of wonder. We have been granted a glimpse of how good the simple life can be. Good luck!

 

[TaijiPilgrim]

Hello all,
I walked 7 weeks France Camino in May and June, 2017.
I came home in July and now is August.
I don't know what I have been doing since I came back.
I really miss the time I walked every day through the mountains, forests, endless wheat fields, vineyards, numerous villages, highways..
Every thing seems unreal now like a dream. I was both happy and in pain on Camino, just like living a life in real world but somehow I was happier and less confused than real life.
Now I am back in a city I live now. I can't really stand the noise and crowd.
I don't really feel like doing anything. I feel like I have lived fully enough on Camino and I am thrown back in a place where I don't feel a life.
I have never had this kind of feeling after travel before.
Is this normal? or am I just too sensitive?

As others have expressed, your post camino experience is not unusual. Perhaps the fact that you have responded to it differently than to your Grand Canyon trip and others is the difference between a long distance walk, a thru-hike, and a pilgrimage. For some, pilgrimage is life changing, and not always instantaneously, but more often, slowly and subtly. That changing takes time, and what is happening is an unknown process with an unknown outcome. Perhaps you are now in that amorphous zone. Some pilgrims return to the camino because they are still evolving and, if they can't return as often as they need or like, they immerse themselves in following forums like this one. This is important because it keeps them connected to the camino and to other pilgrims. You might have discovered that trying to explain your camino to family and friends is not as satisfying as you'd like. Only another camino pilgrim can truly understand. So keep to the forums, and, if there is a pilgrims group or other pilgrims near where you live, get connected. Buen camino every day.

 

[HikingGeo]

Hello all,
I walked 7 weeks France Camino in May and June, 2017.
I came home in July and now is August.
I don't know what I have been doing since I came back.
I really miss the time I walked every day through the mountains, forests, endless wheat fields, vineyards, numerous villages, highways..
Every thing seems unreal now like a dream. I was both happy and in pain on Camino, just like living a life in real world but somehow I was happier and less confused than real life.
Now I am back in a city I live now. I can't really stand the noise and crowd.
I don't really feel like doing anything. I feel like I have lived fully enough on Camino and I am thrown back in a place where I don't feel a life.
I have never had this kind of feeling after travel before.
Is this normal? or am I just too sensitive?

Wow, a serious need for another Camino given you live in one of the most beautiful cities in the world!

 

[Tigger]

For those of us lucky enough to have choices in the direction of our lives, as I said before
you have three main ones

1. Accept your regular life...your Camino was a respite
2. Accommodate what you learned, good and bad on the Camino into your existing life.
3. Change your existing life substantially to either be more Camino like or go there again/permanently.

 

[C clearly]

effect is a noun

Except when you effect a change.

 

[Tigger]

Except when you effect a change.

VERY true! I was trying to keep it 'simplish'!

 

[kdespot]

Somewhere at the end of my Camino I saw the message, "The Camino starts here." I understood that the lessons that we learned in that precious time there must be taken home and translated into everyday life. Wow. That's really hard... but it is, indeed, the lesson. Today, almost a year after I set foot from St Jean, I still struggle with missing life on the Camino. No, it will never be the same here, but doing everything I can to replicate that sentiment in my day-to-day life is my mission now. That's the only way I can mitigate the longing to be there. And, you know what? I serve the needs of our world much better here than there. As much as I want to be there again, I am needed here. And every time I make a difference, I feel the Camino.

 

[Jamie Y. Mo]

I would like to thank all of you who have kindly written replies to my trivial matter.
It's been now over a month since I came back from Camino. I have been trying to figure out how to respond to my feelings.
I am still struggling to figure out what I should do about how I feel because my feelings are strong and consistent.
I am not worried nor anxious but I feel that these feelings should not be underestimated. 7 weeks was a long but meaningful time and I was almost on my own- no particular group to walk with. I had no cell phone either because I wanted to be away from whatever exists out there. I even think 'do I miss life on Camino or the way I thought and behaved on Camino?'

 

[Tigger]

I would like to thank all of you who have kindly written replies to my trivial matter.
It's been now over a month since I came back from Camino. I have been trying to figure out how to respond to my feelings.
I am still struggling to figure out what I should do about how I feel because my feelings are strong and consistent.
I am not worried nor anxious but I feel that these feelings should not be underestimated. 7 weeks was a long but meaningful time and I was almost on my own- no particular group to walk with. I had no cell phone either because I wanted to be away from whatever exists out there. I even think 'do I miss life on Camino or the way I thought and behaved on Camino?'

I don't think I have ever just plain repeated any of my posts on here but...

***For those of us lucky enough to have choices in the direction of our lives, as I said before
you have three main ones

1. Accept your regular life...your Camino was a respite
2. Accommodate what you learned, good and bad on the Camino into your existing life.
3. Change your existing life substantially to either be more Camino like or go there again/permanently***

You say it is trivial and a yes, for we lucky few it is a first world problem, but you have invested a lot of time money energy and 'seven weeks of being the best your can be' on the Camino.

Take your time and use this knowledge well!

 

[Anamya]

I am still struggling to figure out what I should do about how I feel because my feelings are strong and consistent.
I am not worried nor anxious but I feel that these feelings should not be underestimated. 7 weeks was a long but meaningful time and I was almost on my own-

I believe you got some very useful advice and different points of view above. I just wanted to say that, in case it becomes too hard to deal with those feelings, you can always look for professional help. It is not a sign of weakness, it is a sign that you care about yourself

Personally, I tried to accomodate some of my camino learnings into my daily life - these days I consume waaaaaay less and I'm very easy oing with a lot of things. However, it was my daily life that allowed me to go on Camino (twice), so I cherish it

 

[hel&scott]

I am still struggling to figure out what I should do about how I feel because my feelings are strong and consistent.

Be gentle with yourself Jamie, 7 weeks on your own on the road means you probably saw a side of yourself, and others you, would never have given much thought to before. As suggested above, you can incorporate some of what you experienced into your everyday life, this helps, and the forum is a useful place to sound out ideas to do this.

After Scott died earlier this year I returned to the forum to check out changes in the vdp as Scott wanted me to rewalk our favourite route. I thought I was looking for practical updates in albergues closures and route changes. What I found was the opinionated comaradery of old pilgrims. It's not always mindful stuff, gramma nit pickers, experts in blister care, debates over origins of the way abound. But it's good to be back with a group that know the pleasure of a well earned cold beer at the end of a long day on the road.

Like you I struggle with the changes in my life, but a walk in the fresh air and a moment of reflection helps calm the noise in my head. And when I am ready for it, I'll tackle the Camino again.

 

[Jamie Y. Mo]

Be gentle with yourself Jamie, 7 weeks on your own on the road means you probably saw a side of yourself, and others you, would never have given much thought to before. As suggested above, you can incorporate some of what you experienced into your everyday life, this helps, and the forum is a useful place to sound out ideas to do this.

After Scott died earlier this year I returned to the forum to check out changes in the vdp as Scott wanted me to rewalk our favourite route. I thought I was looking for practical updates in albergues closures and route changes. What I found was the opinionated comaradery of old pilgrims. It's not always mindful stuff, gramma nit pickers, experts in blister care, debates over origins of the way abound. But it's good to be back with a group that know the pleasure of a well earned cold beer at the end of a long day on the road.

Like you I struggle with the changes in my life, but a walk in the fresh air and a moment of reflection helps calm the noise in my head. And when I am ready for it, I'll tackle the Camino again.

Thanks for your thoughtful reply. I am sorry for your loss..
There is this saying that strikes me lately; If you don't live like you think, you will end up thinking like you live.
I wish you all the best.

 

[Richmond Gardner]

I would like to thank all of you who have kindly written replies to my trivial matter.
It's been now over a month since I came back from Camino. I have been trying to figure out how to respond to my feelings.
I am still struggling to figure out what I should do about how I feel because my feelings are strong and consistent.
I am not worried nor anxious but I feel that these feelings should not be underestimated. 7 weeks was a long but meaningful time and I was almost on my own- no particular group to walk with. I had no cell phone either because I wanted to be away from whatever exists out there. I even think 'do I miss life on Camino or the way I thought and behaved on Camino?'

Perhaps, if you are able, you might return to explore what this might mean to you. Strong feelings are worth paying attention to. I met a very nice young lady named Ashley, who returned to start an albergue in Samos (casa licerio). She spends 6 months a year there and goes back to the US in the winter. I think you might enjoy talking with her.

 

[bchikergirl]

Camino blues. Those of us who are serial repeaters have been there, done that.

You will soon start planning your second Camino. But don't expect it to be like the first. They never are the same.

You are so correct, I went back and did a second camino and the experience was completely different, and actually not nearly as enjoyable as my first. I left quite heartbroken.

 

[NicP]

affect is a verb
effect is a noun

Hehe - its not quite that straight forward (although in common usage affect is a verb) - in the more specialised vocabulary commonly used by mental health professionals (probably mainly psychiatrists and psychologists) affect is also a noun, referring to ones experience and/or expression of emotion - more on a moment to moment basis (as compared to mood, which is more of a longer lasting emotional state).... as such the noun affect is often frequently relevant to discussion the effects of the camino

I know this probably doesn't ease the confusion, but silly games with the subtleties of language do make me smile (ok maybe I am simpleminded - its often the little things in life that make me smile).

Whilst I'm no expert, you might be well within your rights to say that there should be a warning that "your affect may be affected by the camino effect"?

Now that I have expanded the level of confusion (at least for myself) I shall shut up!

 

[NicP]

I have also battled with this struggle - I suspect that is why the Camino Forum is such a nice space on the internet - many of the people who populate these message boards (including me) are possibly looking for a way to maintain a connection with the Camino, for exactly the reasons you have outlined.

Everybody finds their own way to make peace with this... there are lots of ways you might be able to take what you've learnt from your camino experience and make them part of your everyday life, or as lots of people have already suggested, you can always plan your next camino...

As @Tigger has said, this is a first world problem for we, the lucky few. One way that the post-camino discomfort could be framed, is as a prompt to make those of us who experience it consider what is so different about our life off the camino, and how we'd like to change that for the better. Without the discomfort, there would be no reason for us to re-evaluate what we were doing or how we were living our lives - this feeling represents an opportunity that not everybody gets!

As @Anamya has said, sometimes it helps to talk these things through with a professional - something worth considering, if you look as this as an opportunity to consider how to move your life forward in a way that might be (even just slightly) different to the way it was pre-camino.

Good luck @Jamie K - I know it might not be of much comfort, but I'm pleased you posted about this - at least now you know for certain that you're not alone in this feeling.

Buen Camino (de la vida)!

 

[Joziane]

Hi Jamie,

I too walked the Camino the same months you did and came home in July and cut my hair!!! We may even have met ON
the Camino.....I see you live in Vancouver, I live in Langley. Understanding what you are saying completely.....would you like to talk over
the phone? If so, let me know. Josie / Josiane

 

[AussieJane]

Hello all,
I walked 7 weeks France Camino in May and June, 2017.
I came home in July and now is August.
I don't know what I have been doing since I came back.
I really miss the time I walked every day through the mountains, forests, endless wheat fields, vineyards, numerous villages, highways..
Every thing seems unreal now like a dream. I was both happy and in pain on Camino, just like living a life in real world but somehow I was happier and less confused than real life.
Now I am back in a city I live now. I can't really stand the noise and crowd.
I don't really feel like doing anything. I feel like I have lived fully enough on Camino and I am thrown back in a place where I don't feel a life.
I have never had this kind of feeling after travel before.
Is this normal? or am I just too sensitive?

Hi !
I too have been home a month after walking my first Camino , and I so identify with what you are feeling . Something has changed inside of me , but I can't fully express it , especially to those that haven't lived The Camino. I am trying to hold it lightly , and see what comes out in the near future . I have enrolled in a Creative Writing Course too to" flesh out " my Camino journal : who knows what may come if that ! In the meantime I am focusing on being grateful for the time I had , as I now realize how special it was.

 

[PilgrimJames]

Hello all,
I walked 7 weeks France Camino in May and June, 2017.
I came home in July and now is August.
I don't know what I have been doing since I came back.
I really miss the time I walked every day through the mountains, forests, endless wheat fields, vineyards, numerous villages, highways..
Every thing seems unreal now like a dream. I was both happy and in pain on Camino, just like living a life in real world but somehow I was happier and less confused than real life.
Now I am back in a city I live now. I can't really stand the noise and crowd.
I don't really feel like doing anything. I feel like I have lived fully enough on Camino and I am thrown back in a place where I don't feel a life.
I have never had this kind of feeling after travel before.
Is this normal? or am I just too sensitive?

It takes time to walk the Camino. It takes time to process the Camino. Take your time.

 

[Kanga]

@AussieJane welcome to the forum.

 

[PilgrimJames]

I go again in September. Portuguese this time. My third after French and Primitivo.

 

[Tony Bobcat]

Hello all,
I walked 7 weeks France Camino in May and June, 2017.
I came home in July and now is August.
I don't know what I have been doing since I came back.
I really miss the time I walked every day through the mountains, forests, endless wheat fields, vineyards, numerous villages, highways..
Every thing seems unreal now like a dream. I was both happy and in pain on Camino, just like living a life in real world but somehow I was happier and less confused than real life.
Now I am back in a city I live now. I can't really stand the noise and crowd.
I don't really feel like doing anything. I feel like I have lived fully enough on Camino and I am thrown back in a place where I don't feel a life.
I have never had this kind of feeling after travel before.
Is this normal? or am I just too sensitive?

Hi Jamie
Ive finished my first Camino back in June and feel exactly same as you do, some days I have put ear plugs on at night not because I need them but it brings back memories. I have planned my next Camino for same time next year with my wife, so that partially keeps me sane. Also I am a member of a local Camino group. Wish you all the best and hopefully see you on the Camino. Cheers Tony

 

[Deanpf]

Hi Jamie,

I did my first Camino a year ago and I still find myself talking about the walk almost every day- certainly thinking about it. I always have doubts when people say a moment in time was life changing but I truly believe the camino can be. I haven't been the same since returning. It has, at times led to life being more difficult because I think my priorities have changed so decisions I make are different than before but my life and what is around me is the same. But it has also been lovely to know that the Camino exists and I will walk it again one day and continue to know all that I learned while walking.
Good luck and enjoy life!

 

[AussieJane]

@AussieJane welcome to the forum.

Hello , I've found the forum so helpful and encouraging, it's time to get involved!

 

[Jamie Y. Mo]

I appreciate all of your interests. I am going to go another Camino next Spring to see what this is all about. I wish I can go now but it would be better to get organized a little before going on another trip that might turn out to be a little long term travel, I assume. Thank you all and wish all of you the best.

 

[MeganJB]

Jamie! I believe we stayed in the same albergue in Atapuerca and then ran into each other again on a bridge on our way out of Burgos.

I've found coming off of the Camino to be more difficult than actually walking the Camino. I will probably walk again either next May after graduation or in August when my lease is up, I can't seem to find the same groove in life when I'm not on the Camino. It's frustrating to know what life can be like (life on the Camino) and to come back home and not be able to find or create that same feeling, it sounds like you're in that same boat.

I wish you the very best as you try to navigate your next steps.

*Hugs* - Megan

 

[Mike Trebert]

Jamie! I believe we stayed in the same albergue in Atapuerca and then ran into each other again on a bridge on our way out of Burgos.

I've found coming off of the Camino to be more difficult than actually walking the Camino. I will probably walk again either next May after graduation or in August when my lease is up, I can't seem to find the same groove in life when I'm not on the Camino. It's frustrating to know what life can be like (life on the Camino) and to come back home and not be able to find or create that same feeling, it sounds like you're in that same boat.

I wish you the very best as you try to navigate your next steps.

*Hugs* - Megan

Hi Megan,

There are many boats. See where they take you, learn the winds and tides, the storms and stars. Everything is fascinating, it seems to me.

Mike