Depth on the Camino?

[HolaPeregrina]

Hi all. I recently finished the Camino Frances and hesitated to post this (because I truly did enjoy my time, meet wonderful people and have some life-changing insights) but have decided to go for it, as I'd like to see how I can get more out of the Camino in the future and am also wondering if anyone had a similar experience as I did.

So here's the thing (while reiterating the caveat above) -- I think I expected to find a lot of people on the Camino who are doing soul searching, asking big questions, seeking meaningful conversations and connections, and overall doing the Camino because they are seeking a deeper experience than that which normal life / routine often provides. I guess I was expecting a similar vibe you get on say a healing type of retreat, but on foot. Instead, I was surprised by how many conversations often revolved around things like - starting point and date, KMs done per day (sometimes in a fairly competitive way), albergue details, food, drink, etc. This is of course normal small talk to an extent, but it often didn't go deeper and, at many points, the Camino reminded me more of traveling the hostel circuit in my twenties or just adventure travel than a soul journey. I don't know what I expected but maybe more... sitting alongside the Camino and taking it in instead of racing to the next place, meditating, journaling, soul-baring conversations, soaking in milestone moments instead of snapping a selfie and running on? It also seemed many people formed groups and sort of partied their way through the Camino, creating Camino "families", though I spent time with some of these and found the interactions to be fairly superficial.

I did end up having a meaningful journey as I found people I connected with, sought out deeper/spiritual experiences as the weeks went on and my feelings about the above turned into a sort of reflection for me - letting go of judgments (still working on this, and another reason I almost didn't post), learning to walk my own Camino and pace even if I don't feel I "belong" at times, etc. I think, actually, as a somewhat introverted, sensitive person, I can feel out of synch with our often fast-moving, achievement-oriented, eat-drink-and-be-merry culture... and I suppose I expected the Camino to be a departure from this. Instead, I found those elements very much present on the Camino and my journey became about learning to be okay with being out of synch with my surroundings, to find those with whom I do connect deeply, spend powerful time alone, and know that I am enough. These are lessons I'm familiar with, though I'm grateful for them being hammered home, and the Camino did provide

But I'm also wondering - did anyone else experience this? Is this related to doing the Frances during a busy time of year / are there other Caminos or times of year that may be better suited to what I'm seeking? Or perhaps what I'm seeking (a deep internal journey and people seeking same) is better suited to something like a meditation retreat or more remote nature hiking? Gracias

 

[J Willhaus]

Those people seeking meaning or answers are still there. Sometimes they don't talk about it openly unless there is a quiet time/place. As a hospitalera, I still have those listening sessions every time I go. My husband does as well and perhaps more frequently.

Yes, there are people enjoying the walk as a party or an adventure or a competition. In fact at a donativo albergue like the ones where we usually work, you might think we'd get a lot of that kind of pilgrim, but not really. Even those pilgrims will confide (sometimes rather secretly) that there seems to be more to it that just a long walk with friends.

 

[K_Lynn]

Some people prefer to save their epiphanies for themselves, and others do not mind sharing them others. Some seem to be on a multi-city pub crawl and others on a physical challenge hike. They're all on a spiritual journey whether they know it or not. I had a few very deep conversations one-on-one as we walked but most were small talk until we got to know each other better. I met quite a few people who were trying to make important decisions (ending marriages, changing jobs etc) and a few that had important decisions thrust upon them (ending marriages, changing jobs etc) while walking.

I'm a relatively open will book and will blab forever about details of my past or things up to this moment. I tend to keep the things happening now to myself, but do share them when they become history.

Walking meditations occur in silences and in conversations, you can choose which you prefer to participate in.

 

[Bradypus]

I think that some of those walking for overtly spiritual reasons may be too busy thinking their deep thoughts to broadcast their reasons for walking to those around them! And superficial explanations may sometimes be a defence against intrusive questioning. I for one would rather walk a thousand kilometres solo across Spain than go within a mile of "a healing type of retreat". But I also think it is true that people now walk for a very wide range of reasons and will have very different attitudes towards "soul searching". When I walked my first Camino just being a Protestant was rare enough to earn me a theological grilling from the priest who issued Compostelas!

 

[good_old_shoes]

Even those who go for the pub crawl might have very serious reasons for walking. They might open up to you after sharing a few beers.

I don't know, but on the Francés I've always met people who walked for very serious reasons and always had some very meaningful conversations, or learned something important simply by listening. I never expected it to happen, or planned for it, though. It just happened.

Sure, some pilgrims are quite superficial or self centered ect., or at least seem that way at first sight. Even those, I usually think, maybe I judge them wrongly, what do I know of their reasons for walking the Camino. They're there for a reason and we met for a reason.

With some pilgrims it is so easy, you can have a deep conversation within minutes of knowing each other. Others you will start to know better after a while, after days or weeks. And some simply do their own thing and prefer to stay alone or don't want to share their deeper feelings or thoughts, which is also totally fine. And for some it is truly only a sportive thing, or something to cross off the bucket list ect. Nothing wrong with that either.

Overall I think the more open you appear to others, and the less judgemental, the easier it is for others to open up to you, and to have a deep conversation with each other. If you try to force it, it is more difficult.

What I really learned on the Camino is that even when having superficial small talk, or when not saying a word and only smiling at each other or walking next to each other for a while, sometimes a lot is being said, maybe even the more important things that are difficult to put in words.

I don't know which kind of accommodation you stayed at. In the parroquials, especially donativos like Zabaldika, Granon, Tosantos ect., I think the spiritual aspect plays a bigger role than in the commercial albergues, and I found that there was a higher chance for me to meet likeminded pilgrims in such places. If you haven't stayed in that kind of places before, maybe it could be something you could try at another Camino.

Thank you for your post, and for being so open and honest

I hope you do get some answers that are helpful to you.

 

[peregrino_tom]

This is just so hard to answer! It really requires a thesis. But sparing you that, some anecdote:
Back in 2008 before smartphones, I walked Nov/Dec with just a Brierley guide book (which worked as guide for pilgrim life too) and those printouts with scary elevations from the office at SJPdP. And met others with similar. I had a UK mobile phone that let me call for EDIT £3 £1.50 a minute and send texts back home for 28p each to let family know I was still alive. You could, if you spoke Spanish (which I didn’t), try a phone number to find out if somewhere was open ahead, but often it was hard to get though or work out whether the person on the other end was who you needed to speak to.
Really, all you could do was just set out each morning and head for somewhere that Brierley said was about 25km ahead and hope there’d be an albergue open and somewhere to get food. And incredibly and bizarrely there always was!
In the process we asked everyone questions and tried to make sense of it - people told us some fabulous stories, some of which may have been true, none of which were checkable on google. Someone warned us early on how the meseta can play tricks with your mind.. we had no idea what they meant, but it felt like our lives depended on being receptive to all information – and we went forward from Burgos with some trepidation..
The places we stayed were often formative in showing us how we could cook, give and share together and learn about the history of the camino, its traditions and its fabulous tales (some of which may have been true, none of which were checkable on google). Those were places like Granon, San Bol, Manjarin, Ave Fenix, none of which were comfortable, particularly in winter.

The thing about the internet is that it has largely taken away the sense of venturing forward on foot into the unknown. When the future is uncertain we have to cope with our fears and apprehensions and are forced to make seemingly critical decisions accordingly. And when fate/the camino/the people hosting you along the camino offer support and supply food, shelter, assurance and meaning, we learn gratitude and sometimes humility – and eventually, perhaps, by Santiago or Finisterre, a new-found belief in ourselves and in others.

Superficially all you have to do now is walk. Everything else is known and manageable online. However, if you know where to look and are open to it, there’s still a small (and in reality disappearing) parallel world of the old camino. But it’s much harder to find if you didn’t already know it (had) existed, and hence where to look…

 

[JesperK]

Hi all. I recently finished the Camino Frances and hesitated to post this (because I truly did enjoy my time, meet wonderful people and have some life-changing insights) but have decided to go for it, as I'd like to see how I can get more out of the Camino in the future and am also wondering if anyone had a similar experience as I did.

So here's the thing (while reiterating the caveat above) -- I think I expected to find a lot of people on the Camino who are doing soul searching, asking big questions, seeking meaningful conversations and connections, and overall doing the Camino because they are seeking a deeper experience than that which normal life / routine often provides. I guess I was expecting a similar vibe you get on say a healing type of retreat, but on foot. Instead, I was surprised by how many conversations often revolved around things like - starting point and date, KMs done per day (sometimes in a fairly competitive way), albergue details, food, drink, etc. This is of course normal small talk to an extent, but it often didn't go deeper and, at many points, the Camino reminded me more of traveling the hostel circuit in my twenties or just adventure travel than a soul journey. I don't know what I expected but maybe more... sitting alongside the Camino and taking it in instead of racing to the next place, meditating, journaling, soul-baring conversations, soaking in milestone moments instead of snapping a selfie and running on? It also seemed many people formed groups and sort of partied their way through the Camino, creating Camino "families", though I spent time with some of these and found the interactions to be fairly superficial.

I did end up having a meaningful journey as I found people I connected with, sought out deeper/spiritual experiences as the weeks went on and my feelings about the above turned into a sort of reflection for me - letting go of judgments (still working on this, and another reason I almost didn't post), learning to walk my own Camino and pace even if I don't feel I "belong" at times, etc. I think, actually, as a somewhat introverted, sensitive person, I can feel out of synch with our often fast-moving, achievement-oriented, eat-drink-and-be-merry culture... and I suppose I expected the Camino to be a departure from this. Instead, I found those elements very much present on the Camino and my journey became about learning to be okay with being out of synch with my surroundings, to find those with whom I do connect deeply, spend powerful time alone, and know that I am enough. These are lessons I'm familiar with, though I'm grateful for them being hammered home, and the Camino did provide

But I'm also wondering - did anyone else experience this? Is this related to doing the Frances during a busy time of year / are there other Caminos or times of year that may be better suited to what I'm seeking? Or perhaps what I'm seeking (a deep internal journey and people seeking same) is better suited to something like a meditation retreat or more remote nature hiking? Gracias

Excellent post. I've had many of the same thoughts, and now I've resigned to mostly keep to myself. I did run into an italian guy in Leon at my hostel and we had a long marvellous talk that lasted well into the night. We talked religion, literature, philosophy and pilgrimage the whole time, and we parted as if we had known eachother for decades.
I've been on walks and retreats that were a lot more conducive to a "spiritual" experience. Don't want to be all that critical, but as the years have gone by, I have noticed a significant change to the camino - and not on a good way. Maybe it's just me.

 

[Tincatinker]

Over the years I’ve had some great conversations with people who didn’t particularly want one anymore than I did. I’ve had some fairly superficial exchanges with people who could barely shut up long enough to hear what I had to say.
The Camino runs deep. Most spend their time paddling in the shallows

 

[JesperK]

Over the years I’ve had some great conversations with people who didn’t particularly want one anymore than I did. I’ve had some fairly superficial exchanges with people who could barely shut up long enough to hear what I had to say.
The Camino runs deep. Most spend their time paddling in the shallows

Maybe it has also a lot to do with age and the intellectual & emotional "baggage" we carry with us. I'm a psychologist and have spent my life with books, intellectual pursuits and also travels in "weird" places. You will never find me on a beach on Tenerife. Last year I ran into an israeli that asked if I had ever read Jordan Peterson and we walked together the last week on the camino - having talks that were deep and exciting. But I've also run into people that made me run for "cover".

 

[William Garza]

Is it going to strange places on purpose to be vulnerable a attractive prospect?

Where the unknown may be safe and populated by other "strange place" seekers where a shared experience is visceral,physical and emotionally accessable..but processed individually because of nature nurture...

Perhaps the idea of exposure to the raw Person is too much a experience...looking deep into that human pool and afraid of the depths
Afraid of what may swim up
Afraid of whats in the deeps
Afraid of what they find looking back...

What are extroverts hiding from
What are introverts escaping from

What lies beneath the surface?
What lies...what..lies.
and why not face it
Why not face the truth
Why not find out..what lies inside

I was invited by a friend to sit outside and watch the stars to talk about the infinite and the known.
After five minutes it was painfully obvious that the levels were vastly different..no fault of his..my infinite was far and away deeper and wider.
I was starved to find a kindred, found a small store in a suberb looking for a mall in the desert.

This aggressively introverted soul finds the infinite in that deep silence that comes from the dreg and dross fallen away after miles and days away from the mortal coils.

The inessential stripped away until I am emptied and dried inside...

Out there in between the safe unknown spaces and finding a strength innate..away from the reigns of societal boundries of expected behaviors within the stratification..out onto the fork in the road..a little overgrown..a little more wild
Sitting in silence where the wild spirit inside is in step with a quieted mind and heart.

Out there in the vast empty, there is my pool..away from the noise of a not genuine life.
I do hope that every pilgrim finds what they ..wait
Knows what they are looking for..and then seeks to find it.

 

[Anamiri]

Hi all. I recently finished the Camino Frances and hesitated to post this (because I truly did enjoy my time, meet wonderful people and have some life-changing insights) but have decided to go for it, as I'd like to see how I can get more out of the Camino in the future and am also wondering if anyone had a similar experience as I did.

So here's the thing (while reiterating the caveat above) -- I think I expected to find a lot of people on the Camino who are doing soul searching, asking big questions, seeking meaningful conversations and connections, and overall doing the Camino because they are seeking a deeper experience than that which normal life / routine often provides. I guess I was expecting a similar vibe you get on say a healing type of retreat, but on foot. Instead, I was surprised by how many conversations often revolved around things like - starting point and date, KMs done per day (sometimes in a fairly competitive way), albergue details, food, drink, etc. This is of course normal small talk to an extent, but it often didn't go deeper and, at many points, the Camino reminded me more of traveling the hostel circuit in my twenties or just adventure travel than a soul journey. I don't know what I expected but maybe more... sitting alongside the Camino and taking it in instead of racing to the next place, meditating, journaling, soul-baring conversations, soaking in milestone moments instead of snapping a selfie and running on? It also seemed many people formed groups and sort of partied their way through the Camino, creating Camino "families", though I spent time with some of these and found the interactions to be fairly superficial.

I did end up having a meaningful journey as I found people I connected with, sought out deeper/spiritual experiences as the weeks went on and my feelings about the above turned into a sort of reflection for me - letting go of judgments (still working on this, and another reason I almost didn't post), learning to walk my own Camino and pace even if I don't feel I "belong" at times, etc. I think, actually, as a somewhat introverted, sensitive person, I can feel out of synch with our often fast-moving, achievement-oriented, eat-drink-and-be-merry culture... and I suppose I expected the Camino to be a departure from this. Instead, I found those elements very much present on the Camino and my journey became about learning to be okay with being out of synch with my surroundings, to find those with whom I do connect deeply, spend powerful time alone, and know that I am enough. These are lessons I'm familiar with, though I'm grateful for them being hammered home, and the Camino did provide

But I'm also wondering - did anyone else experience this? Is this related to doing the Frances during a busy time of year / are there other Caminos or times of year that may be better suited to what I'm seeking? Or perhaps what I'm seeking (a deep internal journey and people seeking same) is better suited to something like a meditation retreat or more remote nature hiking? Gracias

What I found is that on the Camino, no-one cares what you do for a living.
That is a very refreshing change from normal life where your job tends to define you. I walked on and off with someone, that I later found to be a CEO of a large company. We just talked about normal mundane things.
I think on the Camino you are living 'in the now', so that's why people talk about distance, blisters, kms etc. because your life literally boils down to these things, and others take a back seat in your mind.
The Camino certainly changed me in several ways, but I didn't discuss those with others.
Its one of the things I love about the Camino, that when walking we are all equal.

 

[trecile]

Its one of the things I love about the Camino, that when walking we are all equal.

I love that too! This year I walked with a small group that were around my kids' age. I never felt like I was in the "mom" role - we were all pilgrims together.

 

[J Willhaus]

I love that too! This year I walked with a small group that were around my kids' age. I never felt like I was in the "mom" role - we were all pilgrims together.

Those guys would be way to fast for me!!! Really though, what I enjoy is is walking and thinking.

 

[dbier]

:::chuckle::: I went on my just completed second Camino, bottom line, because I thought it would be much easier than it was, and because I wanted to pray for my mother's soul. I preferred to walk alone, and was usually in too much pain to think a lot and too tired to ask other people why they were there.

I did find that even the bed racers had a lot of compassion, and I ended up at the end of a few days with people that I cared for/ prayed for, and who cared for/ prayed for me. There were a lot of hugs in Santiago, even if we didn't exchange contact info.

I think you get out more than you put in, but it may take a while before you understand all the changes lurking inside you.

 

 

[LisaWalker]

What I found is that on the Camino, no-one cares what you do for a living.
That is a very refreshing change from normal life where your job tends to define you. I walked on and off with someone, that I later found to be a CEO of a large company. We just talked about normal mundane things.
I think on the Camino you are living 'in the now', so that's why people talk about distance, blisters, kms etc. because your life literally boils down to these things, and others take a back seat in your mind.
The Camino certainly changed me in several ways, but I didn't discuss those with others.
Its one of the things I love about the Camino, that when walking we are all equal.

I love this too. I never ask people what their job is for this reason. I really like to be in the present moment with them. I like that the walking is hard because you can’t get distracted too much by the past or the future, some immediate need draws you back to the now. Relating just as walking humans not with all our identities that we’ve created in life is the most refreshing thing about the Camino for me. I know I’ve been having a spiritual journey, thinking deep things, even if it’s not shared with others every time. I think everyone is also being changed whether they know it, whether they share it or whether they seem superficial.

 

[Robo]

Interesting post and responses.

I always set out on the Camino with plans and hopes to have a deep / meaningful experience, whatever that might mean. For me it means lots of time alone, reflection, soul searching, like a walking meditation.

To a degree, early on, I can then almost resent others who create a distraction from my path.
Not the right word........

But hey. that's the Camino

We can set out with expectations of how it's all going to unfold, and then, the Camino 'happens'.

You will meet people who are there for so many different reasons.
At least they may have started out with very different reasons or purpose in mind.
But for many of us, this changes as we walk.
And those whom we meet along the way, are perhaps all part of this 'grander' plan the Camino has for us.

I have my quiet moments. Just me and the landscape and 'him'.
He and I talk a lot on Camino. Mainly he just listens.

But those other moments, the unexpected ones can be the most magical.
It can't be contrived, with a question like "why are you here"?
It emerges, as we bond and share small parts of our lives with each other.

Ultimately, I think many of us undertake a Camino in search of 'something'.
Often no even knowing what that 'something' is.
It can sometimes feel like a piece of us is missing maybe?

Sometimes meeting another Pilgrim is like completing a jigsaw puzzle together.
And the joy can come from finding that you have a piece to fit their puzzle, and they yours.
Or that you are working on a similar puzzle.

These things might be discovered walking together, doing laundry together, sharing a meal.
They just happen............

Let them, just happen.

 

[Robo]

But I'm also wondering - did anyone else experience this? Is this related to doing the Frances during a busy time of year / are there other Caminos or times of year that may be better suited to what I'm seeking? Or perhaps what I'm seeking (a deep internal journey and people seeking same) is better suited to something like a meditation retreat or more remote nature hiking? Gracias

This is a really interesting comment.
This year I walked 3 Camino routes mainly seeking solitude.

VdlP. Lots of it! But some great 'bonding' with others too.
Invierno. Solitude max. Totally alone.
Fisterra. Quite a few people who were great to meet.
And 3 days on the Frances, in early May. Busy busy busy.

Some of the deepest conversations and connections I had...........were the 3 days on the Frances!
Go figure

I'm not sure you can plan for these things to happen.............

You may meet people on a Camino on a similar journey.
But in my experience it's rare.
Because we don't wear it like a badge.
It takes time to build rapport and trust to share things.

Whereas a retreat?
It's almost like.........
"Hi I'm Robo, I'm here because XYZ happened, and I need to figure out my next step"
Maybe not quite like that, but you get my meaning.
Everyone is there for the same purpose, expecting to share it, and work on it.

Ask me on Camino why I'm there and I'll probably give you a fairly superficial answer.
Because the real answer might take hours to explain.
And I'm not sure I want to share it with you.
That sharing if it happens, takes place over walking together for a few days, a few shared meals, and some Vino Tinto!

People are complicated

And for those I met walking this year, and with whom I had all those amazing conversations.
Thank you for sharing and for listening.
You know who you are

Gee, there were a lot of you now I think back!

 

[David Tallan]

Hi all. I recently finished the Camino Frances and hesitated to post this (because I truly did enjoy my time, meet wonderful people and have some life-changing insights) but have decided to go for it, as I'd like to see how I can get more out of the Camino in the future and am also wondering if anyone had a similar experience as I did.

So here's the thing (while reiterating the caveat above) -- I think I expected to find a lot of people on the Camino who are doing soul searching, asking big questions, seeking meaningful conversations and connections, and overall doing the Camino because they are seeking a deeper experience than that which normal life / routine often provides. I guess I was expecting a similar vibe you get on say a healing type of retreat, but on foot. Instead, I was surprised by how many conversations often revolved around things like - starting point and date, KMs done per day (sometimes in a fairly competitive way), albergue details, food, drink, etc. This is of course normal small talk to an extent, but it often didn't go deeper and, at many points, the Camino reminded me more of traveling the hostel circuit in my twenties or just adventure travel than a soul journey. I don't know what I expected but maybe more... sitting alongside the Camino and taking it in instead of racing to the next place, meditating, journaling, soul-baring conversations, soaking in milestone moments instead of snapping a selfie and running on? It also seemed many people formed groups and sort of partied their way through the Camino, creating Camino "families", though I spent time with some of these and found the interactions to be fairly superficial.

I did end up having a meaningful journey as I found people I connected with, sought out deeper/spiritual experiences as the weeks went on and my feelings about the above turned into a sort of reflection for me - letting go of judgments (still working on this, and another reason I almost didn't post), learning to walk my own Camino and pace even if I don't feel I "belong" at times, etc. I think, actually, as a somewhat introverted, sensitive person, I can feel out of synch with our often fast-moving, achievement-oriented, eat-drink-and-be-merry culture... and I suppose I expected the Camino to be a departure from this. Instead, I found those elements very much present on the Camino and my journey became about learning to be okay with being out of synch with my surroundings, to find those with whom I do connect deeply, spend powerful time alone, and know that I am enough. These are lessons I'm familiar with, though I'm grateful for them being hammered home, and the Camino did provide

But I'm also wondering - did anyone else experience this? Is this related to doing the Frances during a busy time of year / are there other Caminos or times of year that may be better suited to what I'm seeking? Or perhaps what I'm seeking (a deep internal journey and people seeking same) is better suited to something like a meditation retreat or more remote nature hiking? Gracias

A great post. Here are a few of my thoughts in response:
- "I guess I was expecting a similar vibe you get on say a healing type of retreat, but on foot." I think few people are capable of sustaining this kind of vibe for days, weeks, or months on end, especially without training or someone to guide them through it like you get on a retreat. I know on my last Camino I actually went with some fairly big questions I hoped to answer but found it difficult to sustain thought on them and not be pulled into my present surroundings and activity. It was only at the very end of my 51 day Camino that I was able to really devote time to my questions and get the start of a direction towards answers. Some people are better at it than I, or can't avoid it if they recently have been through something traumatic. But they are likely to do a lot of that processing when walking alone, not in the bar after the walk or in the dorm room, so you may not have seen it.
- "the Camino reminded me more of traveling the hostel circuit in my twenties or just adventure travel than a soul journey" I've got to admit that this one was of the things that really drew me back to the Camino after 27 years away. I spent a fair amount of time traveling on the hostel circuit in my late teens and twenties and it was one of the highlights of my life experience. I loved it! And there are certainly similarities: both have you sleeping in dorms with folk from all around the world and seeing new places, and cultures and perspectives that are new to you, removed from the routines and roles of your regular life, with the opportunity to just be yourself. Of course, there are differences: a slower, more physical means of travel and a shared destination, which can add depth to connections with fellow travelers and the lands you pass through.
- Ultimately, I think it is the removal from regular routines and roles and the opportunity to just be yourself that provides the most spiritual value on the Camino, augmented by the exposure to different cultures, different perspectives, and people who meet you without the expectations that are associated with your normal roles. Living this way can teach you things even when you aren't doing soul searching or asking the big questions. You learn unconsciously, while you are doing the simple things day to day: walking, washing, eating, drinking, sleeping, having those mundane conversations. That's why plenty of pilgrims really feel the impact and have the lessons driven home when they return to their regular life. But those same factors do allow deeper conversations, and lots of pilgrims have them. More than one would expect with people they've only known for a few days. But it is something sprinkled among normal conversations. As I said at the beginning, it isn't something most can sustain for months at a time.
- "Is this related to doing the Frances during a busy time of year / are there other Caminos or times of year that may be better suited to what I'm seeking? Or perhaps what I'm seeking (a deep internal journey and people seeking same) is better suited to something like a meditation retreat or more remote nature hiking?" This is really hard to answer and I think depends on who you are and what you are looking for from people around you. Walking a less-walked Camino or remote nature hiking won't help necessarily. I mentioned that I went with big questions and lacked the focus to grapple with them. It wasn't from the crowds around me. My first three weeks of my Camino were on one of the most solitary routes. I often saw no fellow pilgrims during the day during this portion and had the albergue to myself two nights out of three. But if you have better focus and find fellow pilgrims distracting, than remote nature hiking might be better. Ultimately, as I said, I think that the Camino provides us an opportunity to be ourselves. For some, that's introverted. For others, that's more extroverted, more social, perhaps more interested in other things. Having more people around may make it more possible to find more people who are sympatico to you. But that will come with also being surrounded with more people who aren't. Walking a route with less people (or remote nature hiking) will definitely reduce the number of people who want a really social experience around you. But that may also mean you don't find anyone sympatico. How bad would that be? As for whether you are more suited to a meditation retreat, I can't offer input never having been on one. You've been on a Camino and seen what it can provide. You could try a meditation retreat and compare.

 

[Kirkie]

know that I am enough
Thank you, @HolaPeregrina, for your contribution. You have drawn out valuable sharing from other members, above.
Of all the thoughts that I have had reading and re-reading your post, this is what I would like to share: a friend, 82 years old, has never walked a Camino. She is in early stages of dementia. She was never a troubled soul, from observation, and now she is as happy as the day is long, spreading joy just in the witness she gives to her contentedness. She walks a lot within the confines of the nursing home that is now her Camino ground. She is totally in the awareness of now. Her lifetime habit of love of nature has travelled with her, and others comment on her happy way of being.
You offered a significant realisation in the words I quoted from your piece, and perhaps that is the best Compostela from your camino!

 

[JesperK]

What I found is that on the Camino, no-one cares what you do for a living.
That is a very refreshing change from normal life where your job tends to define you. I walked on and off with someone, that I later found to be a CEO of a large company. We just talked about normal mundane things.
I think on the Camino you are living 'in the now', so that's why people talk about distance, blisters, kms etc. because your life literally boils down to these things, and others take a back seat in your mind.
The Camino certainly changed me in several ways, but I didn't discuss those with others.
Its one of the things I love about the Camino, that when walking we are all equal.

Not just "no-one cares" but it seems like a lot of things are suspended while being on the camino. Like age, gender, ethnicity, occupation etc etc - and that's absolutely beautiful. I guess that's why we also have those unofficial rules about not mentioning religion and especially politics. To be free to be ourselves we need to liberate ourselves from our own preconceptions. I like that quote from "I heart huckabees" movie: "so tomorrow, do we bring our own chains? We always do brother, we always do".

 

[Roland49]

I think it changed a bit (or dramatically, if you will) after all that, what happened in the last 3 years.
Many people will not openly talk about their feelings, believes and meanings.

On my CF in 2019 I had many deep talks, most people were very open to talk about the most private matters. This year on the CP I only recall 1 or 2 occasions where talks with fellow pilgrims reminded me of the vibe on the CF four years ago.
Most pilgrims I talked to were extremely reserved and only did smalltalk, reminded me of the northern Germans, who need much time to open up.

Sometimes the most meaningful conversation is silence.

 

[DoughnutANZ]

Like @Roland49 I had more, deeper conversations on my 2019 Camino than I did this year on three different Caminos but I suspect that some of the difference is due to walking on a more remote and lonelier Camino to start with (less opportunities to interact), some differences were probably due to me being different this time around (self examination vs dealing with grief) and some differences were probably due to luck.

Lots of people, especially at the busy times for non-Spanish people, are ticking a bucket list or doing it for social reasons and, in general, these people reflect life back home. Intermingled amongst them are people who are seeking something. It usually isn't often obvious which category someone is in until you chat for a while and so it takes a bit of luck, supported by opportunity to get to chat with people who make a deep impression.

 

[TMcA]

So here's the thing (while reiterating the caveat above) -- I think I expected to find a lot of people on the Camino who are doing soul searching, asking big questions, seeking meaningful conversations and connections, and overall doing the Camino because they are seeking a deeper experience than that which normal life / routine often provides.

I wonder if the movie The Way has helped to form an expectation that walking a Camino route will be transformative. Personally, I had no such expectation when my wife and I first walked most of the CF in 2013. And walking with a spouse created a kind of instant "Camino family", so the experience we had might have been a little different from solo walkers. Sometimes we would split up and my wife would walk ahead. But we had, both as a couple and individually, many deep conversations.

We redid the CF in segments starting a few years later. We then experienced a scarcity of beds between Roncesvalles and Pamplona. A wifi connection was available nearly the length of the CF. The CF was more crowded. Change had come. Had change made the journey less introspective? Not sure. But maybe.

 

[Rebekah Scott]

As the numbers go up on the Way, the number of holidaymakers and casual sporty hikers goes up, too. Most of these are friendly people ready for a chat, but they're not out to change their lives... which is OK, even if it makes you kinda wonder why they came on a pilgrim path if they have no idea what that is. (and maybe they ought to be staying in hostels instead of taking up pilgrim beds in donativo albergues...)
Likewise, the numbers of seekers and contemplatives goes up, too. They're not always easy to identify at first, but they are definitely out there. They are on a pilgrim path to do a pilgrimage. They are just as likely to be outgoing and chatty and helpful as they are to be loners praying in every church. Talk to people. Listen to them when they answer. They are not hard to find. Most of them are quite attractive.
When all the tourists and bucket-listers are gone off to the next big attraction, the pilgrims will alway be here.

 

[dimdog]

Hi all. I recently finished the Camino Frances and hesitated to post this (because I truly did enjoy my time, meet wonderful people and have some life-changing insights) but have decided to go for it, as I'd like to see how I can get more out of the Camino in the future and am also wondering if anyone had a similar experience as I did.

So here's the thing (while reiterating the caveat above) -- I think I expected to find a lot of people on the Camino who are doing soul searching, asking big questions, seeking meaningful conversations and connections, and overall doing the Camino because they are seeking a deeper experience than that which normal life / routine often provides. I guess I was expecting a similar vibe you get on say a healing type of retreat, but on foot. Instead, I was surprised by how many conversations often revolved around things like - starting point and date, KMs done per day (sometimes in a fairly competitive way), albergue details, food, drink, etc. This is of course normal small talk to an extent, but it often didn't go deeper and, at many points, the Camino reminded me more of traveling the hostel circuit in my twenties or just adventure travel than a soul journey. I don't know what I expected but maybe more... sitting alongside the Camino and taking it in instead of racing to the next place, meditating, journaling, soul-baring conversations, soaking in milestone moments instead of snapping a selfie and running on? It also seemed many people formed groups and sort of partied their way through the Camino, creating Camino "families", though I spent time with some of these and found the interactions to be fairly superficial.

I did end up having a meaningful journey as I found people I connected with, sought out deeper/spiritual experiences as the weeks went on and my feelings about the above turned into a sort of reflection for me - letting go of judgments (still working on this, and another reason I almost didn't post), learning to walk my own Camino and pace even if I don't feel I "belong" at times, etc. I think, actually, as a somewhat introverted, sensitive person, I can feel out of synch with our often fast-moving, achievement-oriented, eat-drink-and-be-merry culture... and I suppose I expected the Camino to be a departure from this. Instead, I found those elements very much present on the Camino and my journey became about learning to be okay with being out of synch with my surroundings, to find those with whom I do connect deeply, spend powerful time alone, and know that I am enough. These are lessons I'm familiar with, though I'm grateful for them being hammered home, and the Camino did provide

But I'm also wondering - did anyone else experience this? Is this related to doing the Frances during a busy time of year / are there other Caminos or times of year that may be better suited to what I'm seeking? Or perhaps what I'm seeking (a deep internal journey and people seeking same) is better suited to something like a meditation retreat or more remote nature hiking? Gracias

Hi, I did the Frances, with a friend back in 2021, & as a 1st time camino, I found that a lot of people were doing it for a walking holiday for a few weeks, & as a camino is a personal choice, it was interesting to hear the various points of view. Fast forward to last year, where i did the camino del norte. This, to me, was more of a pilgrimage (ie " a meaningful journey, taken not for pleasure, but for a sense of purpose) I felt that the distance, the lack of amenities, & the quietness of it, made it more spiritual, there were times that I only saw a few pilgrims through out the entire day, if you want a time to think, whilst experiencing some amazing scenery, with the chance to stay in some wonderful albergues, & a truly reflective trip, then I would suggest the Norte....

 

[bullingtonce]

Hi all. I recently finished the Camino Frances and hesitated to post this (because I truly did enjoy my time, meet wonderful people and have some life-changing insights) but have decided to go for it, as I'd like to see how I can get more out of the Camino in the future and am also wondering if anyone had a similar experience as I did.

So here's the thing (while reiterating the caveat above) -- I think I expected to find a lot of people on the Camino who are doing soul searching, asking big questions, seeking meaningful conversations and connections, and overall doing the Camino because they are seeking a deeper experience than that which normal life / routine often provides. I guess I was expecting a similar vibe you get on say a healing type of retreat, but on foot. Instead, I was surprised by how many conversations often revolved around things like - starting point and date, KMs done per day (sometimes in a fairly competitive way), albergue details, food, drink, etc. This is of course normal small talk to an extent, but it often didn't go deeper and, at many points, the Camino reminded me more of traveling the hostel circuit in my twenties or just adventure travel than a soul journey. I don't know what I expected but maybe more... sitting alongside the Camino and taking it in instead of racing to the next place, meditating, journaling, soul-baring conversations, soaking in milestone moments instead of snapping a selfie and running on? It also seemed many people formed groups and sort of partied their way through the Camino, creating Camino "families", though I spent time with some of these and found the interactions to be fairly superficial.

I did end up having a meaningful journey as I found people I connected with, sought out deeper/spiritual experiences as the weeks went on and my feelings about the above turned into a sort of reflection for me - letting go of judgments (still working on this, and another reason I almost didn't post), learning to walk my own Camino and pace even if I don't feel I "belong" at times, etc. I think, actually, as a somewhat introverted, sensitive person, I can feel out of synch with our often fast-moving, achievement-oriented, eat-drink-and-be-merry culture... and I suppose I expected the Camino to be a departure from this. Instead, I found those elements very much present on the Camino and my journey became about learning to be okay with being out of synch with my surroundings, to find those with whom I do connect deeply, spend powerful time alone, and know that I am enough. These are lessons I'm familiar with, though I'm grateful for them being hammered home, and the Camino did provide

But I'm also wondering - did anyone else experience this? Is this related to doing the Frances during a busy time of year / are there other Caminos or times of year that may be better suited to what I'm seeking? Or perhaps what I'm seeking (a deep internal journey and people seeking same) is better suited to something like a meditation retreat or more remote nature hiking? Gracias

Thank you for posting this. It gives one pause. Perhaps the depth you speak of in terms of doing a Camino does not lend itself to being a conversational topic; it is not a social topic so-to-speak. Plus, if the depth is great enough and is truly rooted in one's subconscious self, then one might say it is close to impossible to identify and converse with another person because the differences are so striking. It can be like asking someone 'How do you feel?' when this on-the-surface question probably ought not to be asked at all as it is almost impossible to answer if one is frank and honest. This is why generally superficial answers are given. To think one can 'connect' with another person who is doing a so-called true Camino, to me, is extremely challenging and, again to me, if I was the one truly doing an in-depth Camino I would not want to converse with anyone. To do so would turn the experience into a social one, when I, perhaps, only wish to converse with myself and God. However, having said all of this, I am not sure my respond is on target or not as this is quite a complex matter. Chuck

 

[Kristen Alvarez]

Hi all. I recently finished the Camino Frances and hesitated to post this (because I truly did enjoy my time, meet wonderful people and have some life-changing insights) but have decided to go for it, as I'd like to see how I can get more out of the Camino in the future and am also wondering if anyone had a similar experience as I did.

So here's the thing (while reiterating the caveat above) -- I think I expected to find a lot of people on the Camino who are doing soul searching, asking big questions, seeking meaningful conversations and connections, and overall doing the Camino because they are seeking a deeper experience than that which normal life / routine often provides. I guess I was expecting a similar vibe you get on say a healing type of retreat, but on foot. Instead, I was surprised by how many conversations often revolved around things like - starting point and date, KMs done per day (sometimes in a fairly competitive way), albergue details, food, drink, etc. This is of course normal small talk to an extent, but it often didn't go deeper and, at many points, the Camino reminded me more of traveling the hostel circuit in my twenties or just adventure travel than a soul journey. I don't know what I expected but maybe more... sitting alongside the Camino and taking it in instead of racing to the next place, meditating, journaling, soul-baring conversations, soaking in milestone moments instead of snapping a selfie and running on? It also seemed many people formed groups and sort of partied their way through the Camino, creating Camino "families", though I spent time with some of these and found the interactions to be fairly superficial.

I did end up having a meaningful journey as I found people I connected with, sought out deeper/spiritual experiences as the weeks went on and my feelings about the above turned into a sort of reflection for me - letting go of judgments (still working on this, and another reason I almost didn't post), learning to walk my own Camino and pace even if I don't feel I "belong" at times, etc. I think, actually, as a somewhat introverted, sensitive person, I can feel out of synch with our often fast-moving, achievement-oriented, eat-drink-and-be-merry culture... and I suppose I expected the Camino to be a departure from this. Instead, I found those elements very much present on the Camino and my journey became about learning to be okay with being out of synch with my surroundings, to find those with whom I do connect deeply, spend powerful time alone, and know that I am enough. These are lessons I'm familiar with, though I'm grateful for them being hammered home, and the Camino did provide

But I'm also wondering - did anyone else experience this? Is this related to doing the Frances during a busy time of year / are there other Caminos or times of year that may be better suited to what I'm seeking? Or perhaps what I'm seeking (a deep internal journey and people seeking same) is better suited to something like a meditation retreat or more remote nature hiking? Gracias

I’m currently on the CF and have had some MARVELOUSLY deep and meaningful conversations with so many people. Some people fighting depression, dealing with the loss of a spouse, a child, a stage 4 diagnosis, childhood trauma, people looking for answers to the big “what’s next” question, etc. it surprised me how open the younger people are willing to be - I’ve loved that! It’s been a beautiful journey so far. I was chatting with one of my camino friends and we thought, why don’t we stop asking “where are you from?” and replace it with “what’s your story?”, or “what do you want people to know about you?” Sometimes I don’t want to answer deep questions and just want to walk in solitude and hear what God (or the universe or Mother Earth or whatever you believe in) is saying to me. I respect when others need that too. Sometimes we’re trying to get away from the chatter. I think most of us are out here with big questions we need/want answered. I think most are doing some deep soul diving. There are so many beautiful people walking this camino.

 

[t2andreo]

Here are my three cents worth:

I submit there is a correlation between the number of casual, non-spiritual or deep-thinking pilgrims, and the time or year. As Rebekah stated above, so correctly, at the busy times of the year - Easter through early October - the Camino will have a larger proportion of vacationing hikers and 'tourigrinos."

If you walk outside those months, the proportion of serious, perhaps spiritually minded pilgrims is greater. As several commenters stated, also correctly, the "serious minded" pilgrims are always there, at all times of the year. However, in my experience, they tend to be more prominent in the hip or off seasons.

This relationship can be seen as a classic bell curve. With weeks of the year and months running along the bottom (X) axis, and relative numbers of types of pilgrims running up the vertical (Y) axis you could see the number of casual or fully secular pilgrims increase as the weather warms and schools get out. In much of Europe, many people have their long summer holidays during August. So, that tends to be the busiest time of year.

Conversely, the serious, possibly more spiritual pilgrims, tend to start early and end later - at both ends ot the general curve. Having had prior experience on the Camino, many will also avoid the hot, dry summer months, and with good reason. So, their curve will increase earlier, peak earlier, plateau over a couple of hot and dry summer months, and decrease into the colder months.

But, over the winter months - November through March, most of the walkers are there for good reason. This "off season" type of pilgrimage brings diferent challenges. There are relatively far fewer pilgrims, many albergues are closed, and the weather can be adverse at times. In my experience, waking up in single degree (c) weather with icicles coming off the roof, requires a special sort of motivation to get out of a warm bed or sleeping bag and get started for the day.

Hope this insight helps.

Tom

 

[LTfit]

I think on the Camino you are living 'in the now', so that's why people talk about distance, blisters, kms etc. because your life literally boils down to these things, and others take a back seat in your mind.

This is so true. It also brings us together, a commonality. Whether we walk fast or slow, do stages of 15 km or 45 km, we all are walking the same path, every day just putting one foot in front of the other.

The Camino certainly changed me in several ways, but I didn't discuss those with others.
Its one of the things I love about the Camino, that when walking we are all equal.

Indeed. The Camino is an equalizer.

And you know, sometimes making small talk is all we have the strength to do.

 

[RESOMERS]

My husband and I did 100 km on the Portugues at the beginning of May. We turned our phones off, never used the internet for directions , used Brierley guidebooks and asked questions of the locals when we needed information. We loved our experience. The Frances is very busy in the summer. If you can, try another Camino at a different time of year. Or the Frances in an off season.

 

[Icacos]

… sometimes making small talk is all we have the strength to do.

And sometimes not even that.

 

[good_old_shoes]

Here are my three cents worth:

I submit there is a correlation between the number of casual, non-spiritual or deep-thinking pilgrims, and the time or year. As Rebekah stated above, so correctly, at the busy times of the year - Easter through early October - the Camino will have a larger proportion of vacationing hikers and 'tourigrinos."

If you walk outside those months, the proportion of serious, perhaps spiritually minded pilgrims is greater. As several commenters stated, also correctly, the "serious minded" pilgrims are always there, at all times of the year. However, in my experience, they tend to be more prominent in the hip or off seasons.

This relationship can be seen as a classic bell curve. With weeks of the year and months running along the bottom (X) axis, and relative numbers of types of pilgrims running up the vertical (Y) axis you could see the number of casual or fully secular pilgrims increase as the weather warms and schools get out. In much of Europe, many people have their long summer holidays during August. So, that tends to be the busiest time of year.

Conversely, the serious, possibly more spiritual pilgrims, tend to start early and end later - at both ends ot the general curve. Having had prior experience on the Camino, many will also avoid the hot, dry summer months, and with good reason. So, their curve will increase earlier, peak earlier, plateau over a couple of hot and dry summer months, and decrease into the colder months.

But, over the winter months - November through March, most of the walkers are there for good reason. This "off season" type of pilgrimage brings diferent challenges. There are relatively far fewer pilgrims, many albergues are closed, and the weather can be adverse at times. In my experience, waking up in single degree (c) weather with icicles coming off the roof, requires a special sort of motivation to get out of a warm bed or sleeping bag and get started for the day.

Hope this insight helps.

Tom

I've mainly walked in summer (always between late march- late october apart from walking close to home, three times june/july/august on the Francés). Always met many people who seemed to walk for "deeper" reasons even in the summer months.

I'm not someone to ask lots of personal questions, and I usually keep many things to myself also. Still it was easy to connect to others in a profound way. Words or no words exchanged.

I agree with Rebekah Scott's statement:

As the numbers go up on the Way, the number of holidaymakers and casual sporty hikers goes up, too. [...]

Likewise, the numbers of seekers and contemplatives goes up, too. They're not always easy to identify at first, but they are definitely out there.

Overall, I think whether your Camino is meaningful to you or not maybe has more to do with one's personal attitude and less with time of year. And even if you didn't get what you hoped for while walking, it still has meaning. You often only find out after months or years. Only then you might realize how a supposedly superficial conversation years ago that only lasted a few minutes was very important for you in some way, in the long run.

 

[JerryStroebele]

Well, I just like to meet fellow pilgrims from all over the world. Small talk is just fine and has led to lasting friendships. Buen Camino

 

[MassNative]

This is just so hard to answer! It really requires a thesis. But sparing you that, some anecdote:
Back in 2008 before smartphones, I walked Nov/Dec with just a Brierley guide book (which worked as guide for pilgrim life too) and those printouts with scary elevations from the office at SJPdP. And met others with similar. I had a UK mobile phone that let me call for EDIT £3 £1.50 a minute and send texts back home for 28p each to let family know I was still alive. You could, if you spoke Spanish (which I didn’t), try a phone number to find out if somewhere was open ahead, but often it was hard to get though or work out whether the person on the other end was who you needed to speak to.
Really, all you could do was just set out each morning and head for somewhere that Brierley said was about 25km ahead and hope there’d be an albergue open and somewhere to get food. And incredibly and bizarrely there always was!
In the process we asked everyone questions and tried to make sense of it - people told us some fabulous stories, some of which may have been true, none of which were checkable on google. Someone warned us early on how the meseta can play tricks with your mind.. we had no idea what they meant, but it felt like our lives depended on being receptive to all information – and we went forward from Burgos with some trepidation..
The places we stayed were often formative in showing us how we could cook, give and share together and learn about the history of the camino, its traditions and its fabulous tales (some of which may have been true, none of which were checkable on google). Those were places like Granon, San Bol, Manjarin, Ave Fenix, none of which were comfortable, particularly in winter.

The thing about the internet is that it has largely taken away the sense of venturing forward on foot into the unknown. When the future is uncertain we have to cope with our fears and apprehensions and are forced to make seemingly critical decisions accordingly. And when fate/the camino/the people hosting you along the camino offer support and supply food, shelter, assurance and meaning, we learn gratitude and sometimes humility – and eventually, perhaps, by Santiago or Finisterre, a new-found belief in ourselves and in others.

Superficially all you have to do now is walk. Everything else is known and manageable online. However, if you know where to look and are open to it, there’s still a small (and in reality disappearing) parallel world of the old camino. But it’s much harder to find if you didn’t already know it (had) existed, and hence where to look…

"The thing about the internet is that it has largely taken away the sense of venturing forward on foot into the unknown."

I bet that back in 2008, some old time pilgrims said the same about your fancy UK Mobile Phone. "What? you can call ahead to a hostel? Bah, that will ruin the Camino!

Or even further back in time, the old timers with wooden staffs, probably looked askance at fancy aluminum hiking poles!

There is no question that technological advances change the experience of the Camino (and indeed, everyday life). But this is not new with smart phones and 5G network access, it has always been a changing experience.

Jim

 

[Tincatinker]

"The thing about the internet is that it has largely taken away the sense of venturing forward on foot into the unknown."

I bet that back in 2008, some old time pilgrims said the same about your fancy UK Mobile Phone. "What? you can call ahead to a hostel? Bah, that will ruin the Camino!

Or even further back in time, the old timers with wooden staffs, probably looked askance at fancy aluminum hiking poles!

There is no question that technological advances change the experience of the Camino (and indeed, everyday life). But this is not new with smart phones and 5G network access, it has always been a changing experience.

Jim

I think you’re missing the point Jim. “It’s Life, but not as we knew it”

If you think it’s all going forward ask one of the bankers holding futures on Foncebadon how they felt in mid-pandemic. One time it was what it was that was offered. Now it’s what is the offering that will get that Peregrino $€£¥. If you build it they will succumb

 

[HolaPeregrina]

Hi all. Thanks so much for the in-depth responses and thoughts; I really appreciate them. A lot for me to chew on as I process the Camino, and I will continue to come back to these as I do. I think for now, I'm holding space for different truths to co-exist. There was depth and spirituality on the Camino; and it wasn't as prevalent or maybe accessible as I'd expected (again, I'm not sure exactly what I expected, and I realize we live in the modern world, but the 1200 year-old pilgrimage aspect may have nonetheless led to some lofty expectations). There were seekers and mystics; and it was also just people, in all their awesomeness and all their flaws (and isn't love / the divine accepting all of it?). I loved my experience and what I got from it; and, in retrospect, my reasons for the Camino were to do a deep dive into myself, my purpose and the creator of this wild thing we call life (with social aspects being secondary), so I may try out a different Camino, season or endeavor for my next deep dive. Thank you all again and buen camino a todos

 

[MassNative]

I think you’re missing the point Jim. “It’s Life, but not as we knew it”

If you think it’s all going forward ask one of the bankers holding futures on Foncebadon how they felt in mid-pandemic. One time it was what it was that was offered. Now it’s what is the offering that will get that Peregrino $€£¥. If you build it they will succumb

I think I covered that Tincatinker:

"There is no question that technological advances change the experience of the Camino (and indeed, everyday life)."

[additional comments edit...]

Also, I would argue the Banker's investments in Camino Infrastructure, and indeed, post-pandemic Camino experiences have been saved by the technological advancement of mRNA vaccines.

I dropped some Euros in Foncebadon last year as a result of new technology.

Jim

 

[StineBee]

Hi all. I recently finished the Camino Frances and hesitated to post this (because I truly did enjoy my time, meet wonderful people and have some life-changing insights) but have decided to go for it, as I'd like to see how I can get more out of the Camino in the future and am also wondering if anyone had a similar experience as I did.

So here's the thing (while reiterating the caveat above) -- I think I expected to find a lot of people on the Camino who are doing soul searching, asking big questions, seeking meaningful conversations and connections, and overall doing the Camino because they are seeking a deeper experience than that which normal life / routine often provides. I guess I was expecting a similar vibe you get on say a healing type of retreat, but on foot. Instead, I was surprised by how many conversations often revolved around things like - starting point and date, KMs done per day (sometimes in a fairly competitive way), albergue details, food, drink, etc. This is of course normal small talk to an extent, but it often didn't go deeper and, at many points, the Camino reminded me more of traveling the hostel circuit in my twenties or just adventure travel than a soul journey. I don't know what I expected but maybe more... sitting alongside the Camino and taking it in instead of racing to the next place, meditating, journaling, soul-baring conversations, soaking in milestone moments instead of snapping a selfie and running on? It also seemed many people formed groups and sort of partied their way through the Camino, creating Camino "families", though I spent time with some of these and found the interactions to be fairly superficial.

I did end up having a meaningful journey as I found people I connected with, sought out deeper/spiritual experiences as the weeks went on and my feelings about the above turned into a sort of reflection for me - letting go of judgments (still working on this, and another reason I almost didn't post), learning to walk my own Camino and pace even if I don't feel I "belong" at times, etc. I think, actually, as a somewhat introverted, sensitive person, I can feel out of synch with our often fast-moving, achievement-oriented, eat-drink-and-be-merry culture... and I suppose I expected the Camino to be a departure from this. Instead, I found those elements very much present on the Camino and my journey became about learning to be okay with being out of synch with my surroundings, to find those with whom I do connect deeply, spend powerful time alone, and know that I am enough. These are lessons I'm familiar with, though I'm grateful for them being hammered home, and the Camino did provide

But I'm also wondering - did anyone else experience this? Is this related to doing the Frances during a busy time of year / are there other Caminos or times of year that may be better suited to what I'm seeking? Or perhaps what I'm seeking (a deep internal journey and people seeking same) is better suited to something like a meditation retreat or more remote nature hiking? Gracias

I think you kind of answered your own question there, you did find these people. The Camino is like life, there are all kinds there. You won’t connect with that many

 

[Chito]

Hi all. I recently finished the Camino Frances and hesitated to post this (because I truly did enjoy my time, meet wonderful people and have some life-changing insights) but have decided to go for it, as I'd like to see how I can get more out of the Camino in the future and am also wondering if anyone had a similar experience as I did.

So here's the thing (while reiterating the caveat above) -- I think I expected to find a lot of people on the Camino who are doing soul searching, asking big questions, seeking meaningful conversations and connections, and overall doing the Camino because they are seeking a deeper experience than that which normal life / routine often provides. I guess I was expecting a similar vibe you get on say a healing type of retreat, but on foot. Instead, I was surprised by how many conversations often revolved around things like - starting point and date, KMs done per day (sometimes in a fairly competitive way), albergue details, food, drink, etc. This is of course normal small talk to an extent, but it often didn't go deeper and, at many points, the Camino reminded me more of traveling the hostel circuit in my twenties or just adventure travel than a soul journey. I don't know what I expected but maybe more... sitting alongside the Camino and taking it in instead of racing to the next place, meditating, journaling, soul-baring conversations, soaking in milestone moments instead of snapping a selfie and running on? It also seemed many people formed groups and sort of partied their way through the Camino, creating Camino "families", though I spent time with some of these and found the interactions to be fairly superficial.

I did end up having a meaningful journey as I found people I connected with, sought out deeper/spiritual experiences as the weeks went on and my feelings about the above turned into a sort of reflection for me - letting go of judgments (still working on this, and another reason I almost didn't post), learning to walk my own Camino and pace even if I don't feel I "belong" at times, etc. I think, actually, as a somewhat introverted, sensitive person, I can feel out of synch with our often fast-moving, achievement-oriented, eat-drink-and-be-merry culture... and I suppose I expected the Camino to be a departure from this. Instead, I found those elements very much present on the Camino and my journey became about learning to be okay with being out of synch with my surroundings, to find those with whom I do connect deeply, spend powerful time alone, and know that I am enough. These are lessons I'm familiar with, though I'm grateful for them being hammered home, and the Camino did provide

But I'm also wondering - did anyone else experience this? Is this related to doing the Frances during a busy time of year / are there other Caminos or times of year that may be better suited to what I'm seeking? Or perhaps what I'm seeking (a deep internal journey and people seeking same) is better suited to something like a meditation retreat or more remote nature hiking? Gracias

Thank you for your post. I have walked a number of caminos and find that
Intimacy invites intimacy. If I'm willing to share something intimate about myself, it invites the other to do so as well.
Buen Camino!

 

[trecile]

I was chatting with one of my camino friends and we thought, why don’t we stop asking “where are you from?” and replace it with “what’s your story?”, or “what do you want people to know about you?”

I think that these kinds of questions can be off putting to many people. There was a thread a while ago about if it's okay to ask others why they are on the Camino. Many responsed that they didn't feel comfortable answering that question with someone that they had just met, or that they would answer in a very superficial way.

Small talk exists for a reason - it allows us to get a sense of a person in a non-threatening, socially acceptable way. Topics like the weather, the albergue you stayed in last night, and your aches and pains involve shared experiences that you can build rapport with. I think that it's only after you get comfortable with another person and feel safe with them that you can both open up to each other.

 

[Tony Lenton]

Hi all. I recently finished the Camino Frances and hesitated to post this (because I truly did enjoy my time, meet wonderful people and have some life-changing insights) but have decided to go for it, as I'd like to see how I can get more out of the Camino in the future and am also wondering if anyone had a similar experience as I did.

So here's the thing (while reiterating the caveat above) -- I think I expected to find a lot of people on the Camino who are doing soul searching, asking big questions, seeking meaningful conversations and connections, and overall doing the Camino because they are seeking a deeper experience than that which normal life / routine often provides. I guess I was expecting a similar vibe you get on say a healing type of retreat, but on foot. Instead, I was surprised by how many conversations often revolved around things like - starting point and date, KMs done per day (sometimes in a fairly competitive way), albergue details, food, drink, etc. This is of course normal small talk to an extent, but it often didn't go deeper and, at many points, the Camino reminded me more of traveling the hostel circuit in my twenties or just adventure travel than a soul journey. I don't know what I expected but maybe more... sitting alongside the Camino and taking it in instead of racing to the next place, meditating, journaling, soul-baring conversations, soaking in milestone moments instead of snapping a selfie and running on? It also seemed many people formed groups and sort of partied their way through the Camino, creating Camino "families", though I spent time with some of these and found the interactions to be fairly superficial.

I did end up having a meaningful journey as I found people I connected with, sought out deeper/spiritual experiences as the weeks went on and my feelings about the above turned into a sort of reflection for me - letting go of judgments (still working on this, and another reason I almost didn't post), learning to walk my own Camino and pace even if I don't feel I "belong" at times, etc. I think, actually, as a somewhat introverted, sensitive person, I can feel out of synch with our often fast-moving, achievement-oriented, eat-drink-and-be-merry culture... and I suppose I expected the Camino to be a departure from this. Instead, I found those elements very much present on the Camino and my journey became about learning to be okay with being out of synch with my surroundings, to find those with whom I do connect deeply, spend powerful time alone, and know that I am enough. These are lessons I'm familiar with, though I'm grateful for them being hammered home, and the Camino did provide

But I'm also wondering - did anyone else experience this? Is this related to doing the Frances during a busy time of year / are there other Caminos or times of year that may be better suited to what I'm seeking? Or perhaps what I'm seeking (a deep internal journey and people seeking same) is better suited to something like a meditation retreat or more remote nature hiking? Gracias

Thank you for that, Peregrina. I’m not widely experienced in the Camino, though I I have done countless long distance walks and am reasonably well travelled, and have spent a lot of time in Spain. Deep spiritual experiences occur rarely in life. They occur, perhaps, slightly more frequently than they may initially appear to because, in my experience, the true depth only emerges slowly over time. If you had been fortunate enough to meet Jean-Paul Sartre or Miguel de Unamuno it is quite possible you would have experienced an immediate epiphany. Generally though, Jimmy Smith, Jaime Garcia or Estelle Leclerc are likely to have a slower burning impact because they are ordinary people like you on their own Camino. You can learn at a pub or a pulpit, a lectern or a lay-by. I suspect the deepest things you have picked up from your Camino are lying deep within you and, like a seed, will emerge when subjected to enough light, moisture and warmth. Our very lives are a journey of discovery, forgetfulness,rediscovery and further forgetfulness. I doubt we ever reach an end point before death intervenes to end the process.
You sound like a sensitive and deep-thinking person and will undoubtedly have absorbed all you experienced on your Camino. Your brain will file it, number it and evaluate it over the rest of your life and you will pass your wisdom to others, often inadvertently and sometimes with a significant time lag.
Most things worth having take some time to create.
Thank you again and best wishes.

 

[David Tallan]

I think that these kinds of questions can be off putting to many people. There was a thread a while ago about if it's okay to ask others why they are on the Camino. Many responsed that they didn't feel comfortable answering that question with someone that they had just met, or that they would answer in a very superficial way.

Small talk exists for a reason - it allows us to get a sense of a person in a non-threatening, socially acceptable way. Topics like the weather, the albergue you stayed in last night, and your aches and pains involve shared experiences that you can build rapport with. I think that it's only after you get comfortable with another person and feel safe with them that you can both open up to each other.

"What's your story?" may be off putting, but "What do you want people to know about you?" only asks for what you want to share to all and sundry.

 

[trecile]

"What's your story?" may be off putting, but "What do you want people to know about you?" only asks for what you want to share to all and sundry.

"What do you want people to know about you?" would be an odd question from a new acquaintance. It sounds forced, like a rehearsed interview question. I actually had an experience when I stayed at Casa Fernanda a few years ago where one of the other pilgrims at the table asked me these sorts of questions. I almost expected him to jot down my answers in a notebook. I'm generally a pretty open person, but the questions made me uncomfortable because I had just met this person, and the line of questioning wasn't your typical small talk.

 

[truenorthpilgrm]

I am a very "deep" person, meaning I just cannot escape my inner world, and the camino affords me time and space to work through deep stuff. Rarely has the camino ever been a party for me (sometimes I wish it was). On my last camino (April/May 2023), I had a false start with bronchitis and it took many slow days, until Burgos really, before I had the strength to connect with anyone. I needed that energy to keep from coughing and wheezing.

I've said this before, but walking for weeks in nature finely tunes my intuition, and I find don't always want to connect with every single pilgrim. It's an instant knowing. And as I get older, I'm more protective of who and how I share precious information and energy. I also let people open up to me, ie I don't ask if you're married (maybe your spouse died and you're grieving) or if you have kids (again, I've received painful answers on that score and felt perhaps I poked at an already open wound).

Small talk can be annoying, but it's the potential doorway to something deeper, a way to build connection. If someone is complaining about their blisters, maybe it's opportunity to offer compeed, a bandaid, ointment etc, thus maybe creating a deeper connection. But if someone is obsessed over km or days walking, I just simply redirect my energy.

 

[J Willhaus]

This year while serving as hospitaleros we had a young non-speaking pilgrim who could lip read 3 languages ask at the communal dinner what each person's most memorable Camino moment had been. It was a great ice breaker as we went around the table and led to quiet conversations after supper for those who wanted to share further.

 

[HappyValerie]

Interesting post and responses.

I always set out on the Camino with plans and hopes to have a deep / meaningful experience, whatever that might mean. For me it means lots of time alone, reflection, soul searching, like a walking meditation.

To a degree, early on, I can then almost resent others who create a distraction from my path.
Not the right word........

But hey. that's the Camino

We can set out with expectations of how it's all going to unfold, and then, the Camino 'happens'.

You will meet people who are there for so many different reasons.
At least they may have started out with very different reasons or purpose in mind.
But for many of us, this changes as we walk.
And those whom we meet along the way, are perhaps all part of this 'grander' plan the Camino has for us.

I have my quiet moments. Just me and the landscape and 'him'.
He and I talk a lot on Camino. Mainly he just listens.

But those other moments, the unexpected ones can be the most magical.
It can't be contrived, with a question like "why are you here"?
It emerges, as we bond and share small parts of our lives with each other.

Ultimately, I think many of us undertake a Camino in search of 'something'.
Often no even knowing what that 'something' is.
It can sometimes feel like a piece of us is missing maybe?

Sometimes meeting another Pilgrim is like completing a jigsaw puzzle together.
And the joy can come from finding that you have a piece to fit their puzzle, and they yours.
Or that you are working on a similar puzzle.

These things might be discovered walking together, doing laundry together, sharing a meal.
They just happen............

Let them, just happen.

I love your " Just me and the landscape and 'Him' paragraph. That's the highlight of my Caminos. "Our" conversations go from light hearted, to deep & meaningful, from heart-wrenching sobs, to tears of delight. There is uninterrupted time to to notice & take in His glory in the landscape, the sky, the rocks, the flowers & the birds. And God not only listens, but He gets a chance to get a word in, which, I humbly confess I'm often too busy notice when I'm at home.
I love the interactions with other pilgrims, but the depth of those conversations doesn't determine the depth of mine.

Thank you, Hola Peregrina, for opening this discussion, and I'm enjoying everyone's responses.

 

[Nekai]

Even those who go for the pub crawl might have very serious reasons for walking. They might open up to you after sharing a few beers.

I don't know, but on the Francés I've always met people who walked for very serious reasons and always had some very meaningful conversations, or learned something important simply by listening. I never expected it to happen, or planned for it, though. It just happened.

Sure, some pilgrims are quite superficial or self centered ect., or at least seem that way at first sight. Even those, I usually think, maybe I judge them wrongly, what do I know of their reasons for walking the Camino. They're there for a reason and we met for a reason.

With some pilgrims it is so easy, you can have a deep conversation within minutes of knowing each other. Others you will start to know better after a while, after days or weeks. And some simply do their own thing and prefer to stay alone or don't want to share their deeper feelings or thoughts, which is also totally fine. And for some it is truly only a sportive thing, or something to cross off the bucket list ect. Nothing wrong with that either.

Overall I think the more open you appear to others, and the less judgemental, the easier it is for others to open up to you, and to have a deep conversation with each other. If you try to force it, it is more difficult.

What I really learned on the Camino is that even when having superficial small talk, or when not saying a word and only smiling at each other or walking next to each other for a while, sometimes a lot is being said, maybe even the more important things that are difficult to put in words.

I don't know which kind of accommodation you stayed at. In the parroquials, especially donativos like Zabaldika, Granon, Tosantos ect., I think the spiritual aspect plays a bigger role than in the commercial albergues, and I found that there was a higher chance for me to meet likeminded pilgrims in such places. If you haven't stayed in that kind of places before, maybe it could be something you could try at another Camino.

Thank you for your post, and for being so open and honest

I hope you do get some answers that are helpful to you.

"What I really learned on the Camino is that even when having superficial small talk, or when not saying a word and only smiling at each other or walking next to each other for a while, sometimes a lot is being said, maybe even the more important things that are difficult to put in words."

This is so true. When we're attuned or sensitive to what's going on beneath the surface, any conversation can become a deeper sharing because so much of what is "deep" or "spiritual" (not a word I like) or on a level that is beyond description is also often beyond words.
What we *feel* with people can be far more precious and of value than what we *say* - when we're tuned into that space.

 

[Sssnek]

I’m halfway through my first Camino, so I guess take this with a grain of salt! On the Frances I’ve noticed that sometimes people need you to go first. Other people have said it, that they’ll give a quicker or more superficial answer when asked casually about their Camino. I’ve noticed that the more honestly I answer when someone asks “why are you on the Camino” the deeper their response will be when I ask the same question.

I’ve also come across several people who I assumed were rushing through it or were bucket-listers/tourists/pick your word, but after walking with them for a few hours learned they each had their own significant, and in my opinion deep, reasons for walking.

There’s a lot more judgement on the Camino than I was expecting (possibly a naive hope on my part). For me, realizing that people are not always what they seem was a quick and important lesson.

 

[David Tallan]

There’s a lot more judgement on the Camino than I was expecting (possibly a naive hope on my part). For me, realizing that people are not always what they seem was a quick and important lesson

A lot of people report learning lessons about judgement on the Camino. If this is really the case, one would expect to find more judgement going on in the earlier stages along the route. Of course, people join all along, so any stage might be one of the earlier stages for some. And, at least on the Frances, some seem to relearn the lessons again in the last 100+ km.

I find myself often in need of a refresher course which the Camino helpfully provides.

 

[AnaZ]

Hi all. I recently finished the Camino Frances and hesitated to post this (because I truly did enjoy my time, meet wonderful people and have some life-changing insights) but have decided to go for it, as I'd like to see how I can get more out of the Camino in the future and am also wondering if anyone had a similar experience as I did.

So here's the thing (while reiterating the caveat above) -- I think I expected to find a lot of people on the Camino who are doing soul searching, asking big questions, seeking meaningful conversations and connections, and overall doing the Camino because they are seeking a deeper experience than that which normal life / routine often provides. I guess I was expecting a similar vibe you get on say a healing type of retreat, but on foot. Instead, I was surprised by how many conversations often revolved around things like - starting point and date, KMs done per day (sometimes in a fairly competitive way), albergue details, food, drink, etc. This is of course normal small talk to an extent, but it often didn't go deeper and, at many points, the Camino reminded me more of traveling the hostel circuit in my twenties or just adventure travel than a soul journey. I don't know what I expected but maybe more... sitting alongside the Camino and taking it in instead of racing to the next place, meditating, journaling, soul-baring conversations, soaking in milestone moments instead of snapping a selfie and running on? It also seemed many people formed groups and sort of partied their way through the Camino, creating Camino "families", though I spent time with some of these and found the interactions to be fairly superficial.

I did end up having a meaningful journey as I found people I connected with, sought out deeper/spiritual experiences as the weeks went on and my feelings about the above turned into a sort of reflection for me - letting go of judgments (still working on this, and another reason I almost didn't post), learning to walk my own Camino and pace even if I don't feel I "belong" at times, etc. I think, actually, as a somewhat introverted, sensitive person, I can feel out of synch with our often fast-moving, achievement-oriented, eat-drink-and-be-merry culture... and I suppose I expected the Camino to be a departure from this. Instead, I found those elements very much present on the Camino and my journey became about learning to be okay with being out of synch with my surroundings, to find those with whom I do connect deeply, spend powerful time alone, and know that I am enough. These are lessons I'm familiar with, though I'm grateful for them being hammered home, and the Camino did provide

But I'm also wondering - did anyone else experience this? Is this related to doing the Frances during a busy time of year / are there other Caminos or times of year that may be better suited to what I'm seeking? Or perhaps what I'm seeking (a deep internal journey and people seeking same) is better suited to something like a meditation retreat or more remote nature hiking? Gracias

Thank you for describing your observations about that element of the Camino. I'm actually relieved, it is on my list of things to consider while I'm preparing for next year. I was hoping there was a variety of "moods" or "vibes" among the people I encounter. Seems to me it would be better to encounter people with a variety of reasons why they are there. My goal is just to walk the miles and don't die, after having a very active life, I aimed for a quieter easier life, and now that I'm older (60's) wonder if I still have it. So my reason is as shallow as it gets, don't care for being surrounded by people with extreme spiritual vibes only. Variety will suit me great.

 

[Tincatinker]

Thank you for describing your observations about that element of the Camino. I'm actually relieved, it is on my list of things to consider while I'm preparing for next year. I was hoping there was a variety of "moods" or "vibes" among the people I encounter. Seems to me it would be better to encounter people with a variety of reasons why they are there. My goal is just to walk the miles and don't die, after having a very active life, I aimed for a quieter easier life, and now that I'm older (60's) wonder if I still have it. So my reason is as shallow as it gets, don't care for being surrounded by people with extreme spiritual vibes only. Variety will suit me great.

60’s might place you in the fresher cohort on Camino and this forum. “Extreme spiritual vibes” is a bit Robert Crumb for me but I guess you might encounter something in that zone north of Fromista or on a left turn at Las Herrias. Beware of bucket-listers watching YOUTube every night and wondering how they’re failing to find the magic. Avoid anyone with a gleam in their eye and a story to tell. Oh, and watch out for the pagans reclaiming their Camino they’ll likely just tell you to take a hike

 

[spwalker]

The thing about the internet is that it has largely taken away the sense of venturing forward on foot into the unknown

Excellent perspective! I've just finished the Camino Frances and while I get a great deal of satisfaction from having completed it, there was little uncertainty or challenge about it beyond the simple mileage, because of the online resources available.

On the topic of conversation: my wife and I completed it largely in contemplative silence. I found the chatter of other people to be distracting, even annoying if it was loud.

 

[SabsP]

I’ve also come across several people who I assumed were rushing through it or were bucket-listers/tourists/pick your word, but after walking with them for a few hours learned they each had their own significant, and in my opinion deep, reasons for walking.

There’s a lot more judgement on the Camino than I was expecting (possibly a naive hope on my part). For me, realizing that people are not always what they seem was a quick and important lesson.

I agree!
We are complex people. Luckily so .Some days on a Camino I am in a silent mode , others days I chatter away ( not always in sync with what my companions prefer ).
The older I get the more I realise it is up to me to deal with annoyances and prejudices.
So the Camino is not much different than my daily life.

There are lesser walked Caminos where I can embrace solitude and contemplation. But on the CF or the Inglés that I walked recently I am aware of the great variety of pilgrims and their individual goals.